Campfire Classics Podcast

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

"It started with a load of potatoes."

What started!? And what did potatoes have to do with it!?

These questions and more will be answered in this week's story "The Thing in the Truck," read by host Heather Michele Lawler and written by Darius John Granger.  Kinda.  Probably. In a manner of speaking.  It's another twisting turning tale from the catalogue of pulp fiction, and is another story in public domain because of one of those legal loopholes Ken has gotten so good at finding.

Other questions discussed this week include:

"The Thing in the Truck" was first published in Imagination Science Fiction in 1956.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This week we are making unsolicited recommendations that you try bourbon from Wilderness Trail, Castle & Key, and Jeptha Creed. And if you go to Jeptha Creed, say hi to Mary.

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

It's a party!!

A Baby Party!!

What? You don't know what a baby party is?  That's okay, neither did your hosts before reading this week's story entitled "The Baby Party" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  If you're thinking it's a party where someone is going to juggle babies, you're wrong.  Probably.  Maybe.  Actually, we're still not entirely sure on that part.

This week is full of discoveries!  What is the word Ken apparently cannot say?  Who has the best pizza in small town western North Carolina?  And...wait...what was that about juggling babies?  That's a joke, right?

"The Baby Party" was first published in Hearst's International Cosmopolitan, or as it is known today Cosmo Magazine, in February 1925.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from It Goes Down in the PM.  Check it out.  It really does go down!

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

Some content may not be suitable for children.

Or adults.

Or people with high class standards.

This week, Ken has dug up a story for Heather to read from the catacombs of pulp fiction magazines.  The story is "The Thing on the Roof" by Robert E. Howard.

And folks, this one gets weird.  Like...weird.

Heather discovers her Achilles' Heel is the word "particularly".

"The Thing on the Roof" was first published in the Weird Tales in 1932, and is only available to us because the author's tragically early death was over 70 years ago.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from Twisted and Uncorked.  They'll keep you up at night.  And then we'll put you to sleep. Apparently.

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

Well, this episode comes with a content warning.

Not because it's especially vulgar, just because we decided it's finally time to add one of those.

So, there's the business out of the way.  Now for the fun stuff.

This week's story was selected by Heather and was written by Bret "Not The Hit Man" Harte.  My apologies to anyone who is not a fan of '90s WWF wrestling.  That joke was a little niche.

The story in question, "Tennessee's Partner", is a truly charming and heartfelt story.  So naturally our hosts try to make fun of it.  But despite their best efforts, the story is really what really shines through in this one.

Of course, Heather and Ken still hit many absurd talking points along the way.  What name would you choose for yourself if you could?  Why do some people (Heather) insist on finding clever segues?  And why was Mark Twain such a dick?

"Tennessee's Partner" was first published in the Overland Monthly in 1869, and has been described as "one of the earliest 'buddy' stories in American fiction."

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from The insanely Dangerous Retro Podshow .  We may not entirely understand what they're all about.  But damn, we like!!

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

With 50 episodes in the bag, it felt like time to return to our roots.  So here's another story from our muse, Agatha Christie.

But it's not a Poirot mystery this time.  Oh no, this week Ken is giving Heather a Tommy and Tuppence mystery.  Which means Heather definitely won't have to pull out her questionable French accent. Right?

Well, the adorable detective couple, Tommy and Tuppence, get up to some wild hijinks, and along the way your favorite podcasting couple discuss many of life's little quandaries.  What do you use a Brownie for? How do you practice detective-ing? What would you put in your muff?

"The Affair of the Pink Pearl" is most commonly found in the book Partners in Crime published in 1929, however, it made its first appearance in The Sketch in 1924.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from Life Paranormal with V.  Do you have a personal experience with the paranormal?

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

We're ringing in June with our 50th episode!

50!

Like, we actually made it to 50 stories...

Okay, 49 stories, since "A Scandal in Bohemia" took up episodes four and five, but you get the point!

And the honor of the author of episode number 50 goes to none other than Oscar Wilde.

Ken gets to read this one, and it is a laugh riot. "The Remarkable Rocket" had our hosts in stitches even when it wasn't making accidental pornographic double entendres. But what else do you expect from one of the greatest comedic linguists in English speaking history.

After Heather reads a bit about Mr. Wilde, we dive into the story, posing some important questions along the way.

What is the most awkward thing you've ever had to google?

"The Remarkable Rocket" was first published in 1888 in The Happy Prince and Other Tales, a collection of five fairytales written by Oscar Wilde.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from Malice.  Ariel is incredible in her in depth analysis of the cases she chooses, so definitely, give her a listen.

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

Oh my!  This one gets steamy!

That's right, for the first time, Campfire Classics is taking on a romance novel.  And one written by the incomparable Mary Shelley titled simply "The Dream".

This episode runs a touch long because all the heaving bosoms got our hosts a little worked up, but along the way they still manage to tackle the usual array of important world issues. What gives you rage? Who the hell is Dan Apollo? And why aren't there more rock songs about pasta?

"The Dream" was first published in The Keepsake in 1832.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from Film Rage. Give them a listen, and tell us what makes you rage.

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

You'll never believe what Heather says to Ken at the end of this episode!!!

That's how clickbait works, right? Annoying headline to get you to click the link?

As long as you're here, you may as well listen to this week's story by French author Guy de Maupassant.  A name which Heather chose and still never managed to pronounce quite right.  But that's okay, the title of the story is blessedly easy to pronounce. "The Necklace".

This story has a surprise ending that would make M. Night Shyamalan jealous (speaking of hard to pronounce names...), but before we reach the end our hosts discuss the sketchiest way to travel, a truly unconventional Project Runway challenge, and dive deep into the best foods to cook naked.

Plus big news is revealed in the beginning, and a listener challenge is set at the end, so listen up for those.

"The Necklace" was first published on 17 February 1884 in the French newspaper Le Gaulois.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from Ratchet Book Club. This show is hilarious.  Go check it out. After you've listened to us.

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

Okay, we may as well be upfront.  This one goes off the rails a bit.  But that's some of the fun!  Right?

Right?

This weeks author is a man with a very cool name, who was recommended to us through social media:  Sheridan Le Fanu.  His story "Dickon the Devil" (hmm...that's two in row Ken has picked with "Devil" in the title) provides the fodder for this weeks ridiculousness.

Amidst the the wacky hijinks, Heather and Ken tackle some hard hitting issues like:

Also, Ken reveals a secret that Heather never knew!  Stick around to the end to find out what.

"Dickon the Devil" was first published in London Society, Christmas Number, 1872. Republished posthumously in the 1923 collection Madam Crowl's Ghost and Other Tales of Mystery, edited by our favorite ghost story author, M. R. James.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

This weeks promo is from The Path Went Chilly.  Check them out for some cold case analysis. 

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.

Welcome to Campfire Classics, a Literary Comedy Podcast!!

It's May!  It's May!  The lusty month of May!  And this week's episode is full of unexpected musical theatre references.  But that is beside the point.

The point, when we come to it, is reading old stories, and in this episode Heather has chosen a story for Ken to read called "The Phantom Coach" by a fascinating woman named Amelia Edwards.  It's a moody, broody, winter night on the moors kind of tale, so strap in.

But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom.  As promised, non-sequiturs abound as Ken and Heather discuss hallucinogenic scotch, the origins of Schoolhouse Rock, and 14 year old polyamorous spinsters.

"The Phantom Coach" was first published in 1864.

Remember to tell five friends to check out Campfire Classics.

Another big thank you to Wayne and his podcast Florida Men on Florida Man, for helping make last week far and away our biggest week for listener numbers.  Learn more at www.fmofm.com

So sit back, light a fire (or even a candle), grab a drink, and enjoy.