Drabblecast 231 - Trifecta XX

[StalinSays]

Feature: The Six Pieces of Everett Montrose by Jamie Killen
Feature: Whit Carlson's Trespasser by Will Ludwigsen
Feature: Boll Weevil by Nathan Lee



Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The six of them meet for the first time in front of the sagging clapboard house where Everett Montrose was born. All are tired, with hollows under their eyes from driving or riding buses for days. Even so, they greet each other with shy, relieved smiles. Few words are said; most seem unsure of how to speak to each other. There are some handshakes, even a quick hug or two, but these interactions are awkward and all soon turn their attention to their reason for coming here. They all carry with them small pieces of Everett Montrose, and all instinctively touch the fragments as they look to the house.

Norm’s New CD: The Esoteric Order of Sherman

Hearty White's Miracle Nutrition Hour
Art by Brent Holmes

[Christi]

Possession, Obsession, Infestation.
It’s all in this episode.
Sometimes the beauty of the story, is in the telling of it. This episode had me mesmerized.
I listened to it twice, just to hear them southern accents that I love so much.

[ROU Killing Time]

The robot at the end was my favorite part.

[strawman]

I don't know what's worse: I peed my pants and blew snot through my nose, or the other way round. My all-time favorite Trifecta ever. I love Hearty White, so a double dose is almost unbearable.

noweevil.jpg (9.19 KiB) Viewed 11345 times

[themorg]

Hearing Hearty White cry really warmed my heart... i am not sure why but i feel better hearing his poem hurt people.

[Unblinking]

Six Pieces was a neat idea for a story, and short enough with enough gradual reveal that I didn't get bored.
Whit Carlson's Trespasser I'm drawing a complete blank on for some reason, though I just listened last night. I remember thinking that not a lot happened...
Boll Weevil I'd read previously in the Podcastle flash fiction contest I think. Good stuff, an interesting character, interesting world, didn't overstay its welcome.

[Dolohov]

This was just excellent. All three stories were great and well-read. I'm not 100% sure I understood what happened in Trespasser, but I enjoyed being along for the ride. Six Pieces had a very good premise, handled well, and the ending was well-judged. Boll Weevil was beautifully drawn, it pulled me right along from driving in the middle of the road all the way through. I'll be listening to this episode again, I'm sure.

Hearty White's piece at the end was both marvelous and made me cringe -- I've gotten quite a few rejection letters in my time, so on the one hand I'm glad to have never gotten one quite that...vivid. On the other hand, I was ever-so-slightly jealous that he got a personal rejection instead of the forms I usually do ;)

[Christi]

I really enjoyed Trespassers, I got such a clear image of the characters.

Was the clown not fishing for a body? Someone he dumped there, after stabbing, in the first place? A body that was lost and then “found, found Again…”

[danthelawyer]

I totally need a written copy of that "rejection letter." I've looked at Hearty's site, but he doesn't seem to post his work in written form. Anyone got a copy?

[tbaker2500]

Great episode! And even awesomer reading by Hearty White! Really good stuff.

But. What the heck was going on in Trespasser? I get the Sheriff not wanting to work, it's funny and well done. But the flash-sidewayes were totally baffling to me. I listened twice, still didn't get it. Help, I want to understand!

[Dolohov]

I totally need a written copy of that "rejection letter." I've looked at Hearty's site, but he doesn't seem to post his work in written form. Anyone got a copy?

I didn't see a transcription, but he does have a video version up on YouTube.

[Christi]

Great episode! And even awesomer reading by Hearty White! Really good stuff.

But. What the heck was going on in Trespasser? I get the Sheriff not wanting to work, it's funny and well done. But the flash-sidewayes were totally baffling to me. I listened twice, still didn't get it. Help, I want to understand!

Im pretty sure the clown is a psychotic murderer, dredging up his victim. The flashes are from his perspective.
Perhaps the story is about people not looking at what is going on around them. Clearly the man dressed as a clown and fishing is a nutjob, but his dressed as a clown and therefore seen to be innocuous. He therefore literally gets away with murder, dumping a body and fishing it up again.
The rest of the world is too busy going about their own lives, they don’t have time to stop and question and look for the truth. Everything at face value, because we really just don’t have the time to take note or to care.
Care to hazard a guess Strawman?

[strawman]

True Story: I had a million dollar company stolen from me last year by a guy who claimed to own it, put his signature on a stock purchase agreement, and sold it to a corporation in which he partnered with the so-called Buyers, then sold the shares of the company on the penny stock market.

I took the forged contract to the police. The sergeant studied it. The contract did not indicate where the document had been executed, so the sergeant told me there was no way to determine the jurisdiction, and there was nothing the police could do.

So yes, almost exactly the same as a tresspassing clown fishing for a dead body. I am feeling as stoopid as Hearty White tries to make himself sound. If I had thought to take a picture of the sergeant, I could have sent it to Bo for a story illustration.

This has made me somewhat skeptical. I now believe that the police are interested only in speeding ticket quotas and confiscating drugs to avoid buying their own.

[Lone Mopper]

I loved all three of these, the southern slant/accent takes me back,
back to time I would prefer to forget, but I was almost able to visualize each of these characters in the stories from folks I met down south including the clown.

The weevils are real, I've seen them and I lived on the same block Everett's house was on for a week.

Yankee's like me don't belong down there without an escort and a ticket back after 2 weeks. Not 5 years.

[strawman]

I really enjoyed Trespassers, I got such a clear image of the characters.

Was the clown not fishing for a body? Someone he dumped there, after stabbing, in the first place? A body that was lost and then “found, found Again…”

Whether the property is yours or someone elses, if it contains something that belongs to you, you have the right to fish for it. It might belong to you because you bought it, or because you wanted it. Or it might belong to you because you killed it. You can be the clown who takes possession with a hook and a line, or you can be Whit Carlson spinning a claim for the sheriff. Everybody's fishing for something they want.

Even the fish are fishing.

[Scattercat]

I would just like to say that the sound effects for "Boll Weevil" are almost perfect. That is exactly what the weevils sounded like in my head.

[strawman]

Close #2 Pick is Boll Weevil. Trifectas don't have as much of a chance to leave a deep impression, but the idea of a boll weevil apocalypse that is dealt with by "singing the boll weevils down", making a sound like "the falling of summer rain" leaves a strong impression, and the background music and narration complimented everything nicely.

Somewhat in the rear is #3, the Montrose piece (or Pieces). Poe did something similar with a single body part. Giving them all the power to zombify people for a class reunion would have been more interesting if there had been some overwhelming, compelling reason. I mean, other than the predictable reason of groundwater contamination in the bayou, where stuff like this actually is more likely due to the influence of gris-gris , zydeko, and crawfish head sucking.

Oh, and here's a link to Hearty's YouTube video rejection letter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDancdUqo68

[Beth Peters]

Wow, it sure is different watching Hearty White than just listening! Both are so funny, but it really makes you appreciate the music Norm puts in on the Drabblecast version.

This was my favorite Trifecta too, although I feel like I've said that a couple times before. Whit Carlson made almost no sense to me whatsoever and still, for whatever reason, I absolutely loved it. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with Hearty White's perfect and hilarious delivery, but major props to Ludwigsen for pulling off something so absurd and enjoyable. I don't think the fish was anything special like a dead body or a metaphor. I think it was just "the one that got away" for this clown. This itinerant, roving forest-clown. Who is given a second chance by a savvy lawman that he'll probably never even meet. It's a story about redemption really.

Everett Montrose was also remarkably well read. Talk about a voice for radio! I'm sure David Robison could make a career in audio book narration no problem. The story had all the things a good story should have: appropriate mystery, authentic setting, great pacing leading to a nice payoff/resolution of tension build-up. Concise little gem of a story.

Bollweevil was creepy and awesome. Reminded me a bit of the Drabblecast story Storm Comes a Calling. Very moody and dark, just like the brooding old-time blues the story is anchored to. If you listen to the podcast with headphones like I do the scuttling weevils panning left/right in stereo will make you jump out of your seat too.

Oh, and just ordered Norm's CD, can't wait!

[cinnamon]

I really enjoyed Trespassers, I got such a clear image of the characters.

Was the clown not fishing for a body? Someone he dumped there, after stabbing, in the first place? A body that was lost and then “found, found Again…”

I've just re-listened to this episode (doing that a lot lately). What I love, love - and totally missed the first around - is the cop arguing stuff like what's the absolute worst thing that could happen with that clown fishing there and do you really want it on your conscience that this clown was taking up the drunk tank and that could lead to something bad and meanwhile the clown is stabbing people, dumping them, and fishing them up. THAT'S A GOOD DAY'S POLICE WORK. lololderp

[Richmazzer]

Yep, Whit Carlson's Trespasser is one of my favorite Trifecta stories I've heard.

Also, I think if they ever make another Creepshow movie, Bollweevil would be perfect for it, starring a drunk John C. Riley in overalls.