Classics 06 (EP 175) - The Outsider

[strawman]

Update (Sunday, August 31st, 2014): Drabbleclassics 6 - The Outsider
Feature: The Outsider by H.P. Lovecraft
No drabble for this episode.
Poem: The Fungi From Yuggoth by H. P. Lovecraft
Genres: Drabbleclassics Horror Mystery
Original Episode: 175



Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
Unhappy is he to whom the memories of childhood bring only fear and sadness. Wretched is he who looks back upon lone hours in vast and dismal chambers with brown hangings and maddening rows of antique books. Such a lot the gods gave to me - to me, the dazed, the disappointed; the barren, the broken...

Episode Art: Bo Kaier
Originally published in Weird Tales, April 1926.

Twabble: “ The flyer he gave me said 'Protect our Borders,' but when I brought my shotgun to the fiction section, they kicked me out. ” by The PMS Avenger

[Talia]

Oh I liked the main fiction OK, pretty creepy and all, but....

I laughed, and laughed over the twitfic. NICELY DONE. Best laugh I've had all week, no lie.

(former Borders employee ).

[Phenopath]

I have been O.F. recently but I have to express my appreciation for the cool things that have been happening on DC recently. There have been lots of innovations; women writing about aliens month, standout productions such as Mongoose and standout stories like Reenactment (not to forget the Little Shirt of Stemcells).

And we have commissioned fiction to look forward to. I am not a crazy Lovecraft fan, but there is lots for Pratt, Levine and Lake to get their teeth into and I can't wait to see what they come up with.

In this week's story may have shown its age a little, but it is always amusing to wallow in HP's purple prose .

[Mr. Tweedy]

I really enjoyed the music on this one, especially when the rock guitar comes in at the climax. The production was nicely balanced: We get a strong Lovescraft "it's too horrible to comprehend" vibe, but we are also reminded that monsters are awesome.

This is a classic Lovecraft story, and that generally means that it's great except that it doesn't know when to quit. The brooding mystery of the man(?) in the ruined castle is palpable, and the revelation that his whole world is a crypt shocks while adding another layer to the mystery. Having him crash the happy party is a poignant scene full of sadness as much as horror. The story should end with him looking in the mirror. But then Lovecraft keeps right on truckin' with a whole lot of completely unnecessary words that do nothing but lessen the mystery and reduce our empathy for the monster. Lovecraft is, as always, a genius in need of a stern editor.

I dug the Fungi from Yugoth. Great little peices, and perfectly produced. I think it would be rad to hear the whole cycle, spread out over a dozen episodes.

"Protect or borders" got a solid LOL. Good show. And good show all around.

[tbaker2500]

Great episode! All of the Lovecraft I have ever heard is here, so it's not a re-telling for me. Truly cool story. While I agree with Tweedy that the story could certainly have ended at the mirror, the length and the pacing make it clear that this was written in a different time, for a different audience. There is no doubt that modern storytelling is tight and fast, so the longer pacing makes this story feel very authentic.

But the true star of this episode was the artwork. I was entranced by the real but distorted body posturing, mixed with the piercing eyes. It hints at an story unto itself that I knew to be fascinating. You just sold yourself another poster, Bo!

[AugustLeo]

The Lovecraft story was interesting, though I'll admit a little hard to follow at times. I had to back it up a bit to get my bearings. But very atmospheric and moody. Definitely a crappy way to spend eternity.

[tbaker2500]

Hey. where can I get a full res version of the episode artwork? Desktop background, baby!

[ejbman]

Love love LOVE this story. Excellent production, Unca Norm. Great voice, great music. Tops.

[Mikes]

This was one of those DCs where everything was just spot on the.

Artwork: Awesome. Just Awesome. I would gladly have it on ym wall... although my wife would raise an eyebrow in no uncertain term.

Music: Pitched perfectly.

Drabble: I laughed as I walked through my work's door. now they think I'm even weirder, and I didn't think that could be done.

And Lovecraft.... It's Lovecraft, what can I say. It would be like having a discussion as to whether or not Hendrix was a decent guitarist. but I will add I missed my train stop listening to it.

[ejbman]

Don't forget Cthulhu in the next election. "Why Pick the Lesser Evil?" http://cthulhu2012.com/

[tbaker2500]

Don't forget Chtulu in the next election. "Why Pick the Lesser Evil?" http://cthulhu2012.com/

Oh, that is friggin' AWESOME!

[Etaan]

http://chainsawsuit.com/2010/08/25/licensed-to-survive/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ejbman]

http://chainsawsuit.com/2010/08/25/licensed-to-survive/

Ha ha! Love it.

[Unblinking]

I've only come across a couple Lovecraft stories to date. This one was good, but didn't hit me on all cylinders like The Music of Erich Zann did. The description of the other world was very intresting, and compelling, and the mirror revelation was cool if a bit predictable to my modern reading ear.

[tbaker2500]

I've only come across a couple Lovecraft stories to date. This one was good, but didn't hit me on all cylinders like The Music of Erich Zann did. The description of the other world was very intresting, and compelling, and the mirror revelation was cool if a bit predictable to my modern reading ear.

A Reading Ear? Is that anything like the earworm?

[Unblinking]

I've only come across a couple Lovecraft stories to date. This one was good, but didn't hit me on all cylinders like The Music of Erich Zann did. The description of the other world was very intresting, and compelling, and the mirror revelation was cool if a bit predictable to my modern reading ear.

A Reading Ear? Is that anything like the earworm?

The earworm has told me that I am not to speak of the earworm.

The earworm has told me that I should not have said that.

The earworm has told me that it has more work to do in my brain before I become a worthy thrall, and that it has more work to do than a one-legged man in a butt-kissing contest.

The earworm has not yet mastered colloquialisms.

[mediadavid]

{Marker for start of Classics comments. See Pondspider's suggestion.}

I just listened to this episode via Drabble classics. An excellent story and production, one that I hadn't heard before and well narrated by Norm, with excellent production. Drabblecast doesn't seem to have as much music and sound effects now and I think they can really work, add that 'theatre of the mind' element. I haven't read as much Lovecraft as I clearly shoudl, but I don't think that I could beat the experience of a Drabblecast production for a first experience.

the only problem, and the problem I had with the previous drabbleclassics, was the analysis at the end...i suppose I can just skip it, but I do like to hear what other people think.

The main problem with the analysis with this one is that they were so self congratulatory in having seen through the mirror 'twist' and went onto wondering why the monster thought it was a human and how it could read etc etc, that they all completely missed what I thought was equally obvious. The narrator wasn't a generic monster, but a corpse. (Admittedly Lovecrafts description obscured that revelation a bit, but nonetheless the narrator is described as having a boney form and ragged clothes). The narrator came from a tomb. The castle at the end was even explicitly stated (as much as Lovecraft is ever explicit about anything) as being the same castle as that which the narrator lived in in his dead world, but with some familiar towers missing and new towers added. The narrator knew he was human and didn't need to learn to read as he still somewhat remembered this from when he was living.

The non-sequiter at the end though really is a bit much though!

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

Welcome aboard, Mediadavid.

[Mindless-Focus]

Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm a long time listener and first time poster. I'm also a Lovecraft super fan. So after listening to the hosts struggle to find meaning in this story, I thought if chime in and help you out.

SPOILERS BE BELOW

This story is about the risen dead leaving the mausoleum in which he was interred. He then stumbled upon a building which he vaguely remembered and after startling the occupants, des covered his own reflection in a mirror and runs off to join the ghouls. That's the quick ten cent explanation.

There are keys to this throughout. The trees that blot out the sky and leave him in darkness are presumably roots of trees. He passes oblong boxes in rows on the way out of his castle. Once leaving, he passes rows of marble structures with strange writing on them (grave stones) that were part of a church yard. He returns to a place he is very familiar with. This is presumably a place he knew when he was alive as he comments that they filled the moat and changed the structure since he can remember. He also describes a hideous, grotesque thing with mouldering clothes in a mirror. He then runs off to be with ghouls who keep company with dead things or could be what Lovecraft is calling his zombie.

There are little cues here and that that indicate that he is dead and this is a place he knows that is familiar. So, essentially, this is a zombie story. Though it is safe to say that this is a Poe-esque story about Lovecraft himself. We know he was an Anglophile and considered himself to have been born in the wrong time and preferred the older days. He, throughout his life, seemed to feel an outsider in this time.

Well, I hope this helps and if it's okay, I'd like to plug the HP Podcraft Literary podcast as a good place to go to hear discussion on all of his stories. Also, I thought this was a great reading. Glad the Classics crew rereleased this episode! Keep up the great work!

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

Welcome aboard, Mindless-Focus!

I haven't read your comments yet, because I've yet to listen to Classics 6, but I will.