Radio Free Mid-World
58 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 85 ratingsWelcome to Radio Free Mid-World, a podcast examination of the Dark Tower series of books by Stephen King. Every other week, a panel of hosts will discuss these books that merge fantasy, sci-fi, and western themes... outlining the quest of the last Gunslinger to reach the Dark Tower.
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Episodes
Episode 58: Everything's Eventual
October 29, 2019 21:00 - 1 hour - 36.7 MBEven joins me to talk about the short story "Everything's Eventual", which introduces the unwitting psychic assassin Dinky Earnshaw. Some bad dialogue aside, this Dark Tower side story is tightly written, and does a great job at inducing both paranoia and impostor syndrome.
Episode 57: It: Chapter 2
September 27, 2019 20:00 - 1 hour - 32.3 MBThis week, Gwen joins me to talk about the sequel to the 2017 "It" film. This continues the story with an all new cast of grown up Losers returning to Derry to stop Pennywise once and for all. While we have some problems with the pacing, there are some really neat ideas going on here, along with some inspired casting.
Episode 56: The Dark Tower, "The Little Red King"
September 03, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 45.4 MBJeremy Greer joins me to observe the birth of Mordred Deschain, and the deaths of Mother Mia and Father Callahan. This section of the book feels like the proper end to Song of Susannah, as our diminished ka-tet risks everything to reunite back in All-World.
Episode 55: The Talisman
July 10, 2019 01:00 - 1 hour - 54.7 MBZack Johnson joins me to talk about The Talisman, Stephen King's 1984 collaboration with Peter Straub that acts as a rough draft for many concepts in The Dark Tower saga. Jack is a young boy learns that the world has a dual nature. He's given a mission to venture to California, shifting back and forth between America and the Territories, to retrieve the Talisman and save his mother's life. To bad his uncle is standing in his way.
Episode 54: Song of Susannah, Stanzas 11-13
June 25, 2019 17:30 - 1 hour - 36.5 MBAutumn Greer joins me once more to finish out this book, which climaxes with Eddie and Roland wandering into the Maine home of Stephen King himself to learn about the cosmic stakes of the novel they star in. Meanwhile, Jake and Callahan accidentally cause 9/11 and Susannah is carted into the Dixie Pig to give birth. It's a weird book.
Episode 53: Song of Susannah, Stanzas 7-10
June 11, 2019 22:00 - 1 hour - 36.4 MBAutumn Greer joins me once more to talk about the middle portion of Song of Susannah, which follows the adventures of Eddie and Roland in Maine in 1977. They arrive in the middle of an ambush organized by the forces of the Crimson King, and face down a completely contemptible Calvin Tower, who is more than ready to renege on his deal. Meanwhile, Susannah and Detta squeeze more answers out of a reticent Mia who is also in denial.
Episode 52: Song of Susannah, Stanzas 1-6
May 29, 2019 02:00 - 1 hour - 46.1 MBAutumn Greer joins me to talk about Song of Susannah, which is nobody's favorite Dark Tower book. However, it sets the stage for what happens next, so it's important to get the discussion right. Susannah has fled to New York with Black 13, piloted by Mia, Daughter of None. She is being directed to a place where she can give birth to a very dangerous child. Meanwhile, the rest of the ka-tet gets their rescue plan royally boned.
Episode 51: From a Buick 8
November 14, 2018 01:00 - 1 hour - 44.3 MBJim Stormdancer (of Frog Fractions and Video Games Hot Dog fame) joins me to talk about another Tower-related novel, "From a Buick 8". A strange man abandons an even stranger car at a gas station in western Pennsylvania, and it ends up in the custody of a state police barracks nearby. The novel, through flashbacks, tells the story of how a rookie led the charge to investigate the otherworldly happenings spurred on by the car's presence, in what's probably King's most Lovecraftian book to date.
Episode 50: Bag of Bones
November 07, 2018 04:00 - 1 hour - 33 MBAutumn Greer joins me to talk about Bag of Bones, a novel about a writer who loses his wife under mysterious circumstances... which starts him on a collision course against a conspiracy of old racists in a small Maine lake town.
Episode 49: Wolves of the Calla, "The Wolves" (Part 2)
October 10, 2018 02:00 - 1 hour - 36 MBEvan Thorne joins me for the last chapters of Wolves of the Calla, where we say goodbye to the Wolves, goodbye to the Calla, and goodbye to any feeling of existential certainty. Things go thoroughly 19 as the preparations come to a close and we get more answers about what exactly the Wolves are doing with those twins they abduct.
Episode 48: The Wolves of the Calla, "The Wolves" (Part 1)
September 19, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 31.9 MBTwo is one and one is none. That's what we learn in this week's episode, as Autumn Greer joins me to talk about the beginning of the end of Wolves of the Calla. We learn why the older Slightman is cooperating with the Wolves, and we also get closer to figuring out how to protect the Rose. However, it involves Eddie taking a brief jaunt into is old, strange home of Manhattan.
Episode 47: Wolves of the Calla, "Telling Tales" (Part 3)
September 04, 2018 22:00 - 1 hour - 40.4 MBSomebody saved Donald Callahan's life tonight. Jeremy Greer joins me to learn who, and how. As the ka tet settles into the Calla and tries to learn more about the impending conflict, the Father settles in and shares the remainder of his story... talking about how he hit rock bottom, was attacked by the Hitler Brothers, and saved by some very familiar people.
Episode 46: Wolves of the Calla, "Telling Tales" (Part 2)
August 21, 2018 21:00 - 1 hour - 35.9 MBEvan Thorne joins me for a history lesson in Calla folkways and close calls, as we learn the tale of Lady Oriza and Gray Dick, and hear from Granpere Jaffords about the time he saw a dead wolf. The ka-tet learns about a potential ace in the hole: the women of the Calla know how to throw sharpened titanium plates. But things start going wrong when Jake witnesses Susannah's nightly fugue states.
Episode 45: Wolves of the Calla, "Telling Tales" (Part 1)
August 07, 2018 09:00 - 1 hour - 31.6 MBWelcome Home. Autumn Greer joins me to talk about a section of the book that focuses very heavily on Father Callahan, and his journey from 'Salem's Lot, across America's hidden todash highways, and finally to End-World. But we must also make a stop at Calla Bryn Sturgis to talk about Roland's weird rice cum dance. It's an eventful episode.
Episode 44: Wolves of the Calla, "Todash" (Part 2)
July 24, 2018 09:00 - 1 hour - 35.8 MBLet's go back to the vacant lot, because the Rose is in danger. Zack Johnson joins me once again to talk about the remainder of the Todash portion of the book. Our ka-tet begins to understand the nature of their nocturnal travels, while Father Callahan makes his introductions. Roland and company learn more specifics about the Wolves, and decide that it's their duty to protect this town, even if they don't want protection.
Episode 43: Wolves of the Calla, "Todash" (Part 1)
July 11, 2018 00:00 - 57 minutes - 29 MBTime has resumed. Zack Johnson joins me to talk about the opening of Wolves of the Calla, which finds our ka-tet approaching civilization once more. The Wolves are about to return to Calla Bryn Sturgis. Their goal is to steal half of the children and return them Roont, or ruined. And among the simple farmers is a remarkable man, another castaway from Earth. Someone we've met before.
Episode 42: The Regulators
June 26, 2018 15:00 - 1 hour - 37.7 MBTV's gonna rot your brain, even if you're a demon. Autumn Greer joins me to talk about this absolutely bonkers companion to Desperation. Writing as Richard Bachman, King takes major characters from Desperation and plants them in suburban Ohio, where the demon Tak uses a child's mind and obsession with westerns and cartoons to turn a neighborhood into a killing floor.
Episode 41: 'Salem's Lot
June 13, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBHere comes Mister Flip, to chase you out of Jerusalem's Lot. Autumn Greer joins me to talk about this seminal retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, as mysterious men named Barlowe and Straker move into town and children seem to be rising from the dead. The events of this book have a great bearing on the final Dark Tower titles, so I'd encourage you to listen in.
Episode 40: The Little Sisters of Eluria
May 29, 2018 20:00 - 1 hour - 38.4 MBThe hospital isn't always the place you go to get better. Roland learns this the hard way after a run-in at the dead town of Eluria. Autumn and Jeremy Greer join me to talk about this short story, most readily available in the collection called Everything's Eventual (https://amzn.to/2LIA4WS). This tale concerns Roland's discovery of a coterie of vampires masquerading as nuns, and it will serve as a good primer for the Wolves of the Calla and the following books. Thank you for being understand...
Episode 39: The Fall of Gilead / The Battle of Jericho Hill
April 26, 2018 02:00 - 1 hour - 46.9 MBWe know the "what" of Gilead's fall, but now we know the "how". Bryan May and Murph Murphy join me to continue the journey of Young Roland, as we watches the seeds of Farson and Marten's treachery take root in Gilead and tear it to pieces. This episode covers the trade paperbacks "The Fall of Gilead" and "The Battle of Jericho Hill".
Episode 38: The Wind Through the Keyhole, "Skin-Man (Part 2) / Storm's Over"
April 18, 2018 14:00 - 1 hour - 36.4 MBThe wild west werewolf mystery is solved, and I'm joined by Evan and Chase to talk through the gory conclusion to this strange book. With the fairy tale told, Roland sets out to identify which of the salt miners is gruesomely murdering the inhabitants of Debaria. As for where that Skin-Man came from? Well, that's another mystery.
Episode 37: The Wind Through the Keyhole, "The Wind Through the Keyhole (Part 2)"
April 04, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 40.9 MBDeeper into the endless woods we go, to find a tiger and almost certain death. Evan joins me to talk about the second half of the fairy tale that makes up the core of this book. Tim Ross is following the Covenant Man's directions, headed on a fool's errand to find a cure for his mother's blindness. And he has no idea what wonders (and horrors) he will see on the way.
Episode 36: The Wind Through the Keyhole, "The Wind Through the Keyhole (Part 1)"
March 20, 2018 20:00 - 1 hour - 29.9 MBSean Wagoner joins me to get to know the Covenant Man, the In-World tax collector who menaces young Tim Ross. All of this happens in the fairy tale that gives this book its name. Tim's dad dies, his mom falls in with an abusive drunk, and the Covenant Man arrives to send the young boy on a fool's errand.
Episode 35: The Wind Through the Keyhole, "Starkblast / Skin-Man (Part 1)"
March 06, 2018 20:00 - 1 hour - 43.7 MBA new old story, within the story, within the story. Evan joins me to talk about the opening movements of The Wind Through the Keyhole. After surviving the events in Lud and their encounter with the wizard Randal Flagg, the ka-tet finds themselves stranded by a Starkblast... a deadly kind of winter storm. With nothing left to do, Roland tells them about what he did after his mission to Hambry.
Episode 34: The Long Road Home / Treachery
February 20, 2018 20:00 - 1 hour - 52.3 MBWhat happened during Roland's return to Gilead from Mejis, and how exactly did Gilead fall? Murph joins me to talk about two story arcs from the Dark Tower comics: The Long Road Home (http://amzn.to/2BFzqXi) and Treachery (http://amzn.to/2EQOSCd). These give us a little more time in Gilead that was before it falls, and show us some of the cosmic implications of Roland's quest.
Episode 33: Desperation
February 06, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour - 54.2 MBNevada is home to a lot of intense people, and Autumn Greer joins me to talk about one of the most extreme: Collie Entragian. Desperation is the chronicle of what happens to several travelers who are captured by a small town sheriff in the abandoned burg of Desperation, Nevada. And it turns out the corruption runs deeper than anyone could expect, literally.
Episode 32: Wizard and Glass, "All God's Chillun' Got Shoes"
January 24, 2018 03:00 - 1 hour - 46.1 MBWe're off to see the wizard... the wonderful Wizard of lots of places. With the flashback done, Autumn and Jeremy Greer join me to talk about the conclusion of book four. Roland and his Ka Tet venture forth into Kansas until their road leads them directly into a familiar palace, inhabited by a familiar devilish interloper.
Episode 31: Wizard and Glass, "Come, Reap (Part 3)"
January 10, 2018 00:00 - 1 hour - 44.6 MBCharyou tree. Charyou tree. Evan joins me to talk about the upsetting conclusion of the flashback portion of Wizard and Glass. As Roland and the others experience the joy of victory on the battlefield, Susan is swept up in the winds of Ka and sacrificed by Hambry on a burning pyre. The old ways are coming back.
Episode 30: Wizard and Glass, "Come, Reap (Part 2)"
December 27, 2017 16:15 - 1 hour - 39.1 MBIt was never about the gas, it was about the ball. Murph joins me to talk about the continuation of "Come, Reap", as the boys are captured and it seems all hope is lost. However, Susan and Sheemie are ready to come to the rescue.
Episode 29: Wizard and Glass, "Come, Reap (Part 1)"
December 13, 2017 01:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MBBird and bear and hare and fish, bring me Evan Thorne to talk about this section of Wizard and Glass. Roland and Susan have taken the plunge, and the conspiracy reveals itself to be about a very western object of desire... oil.
Episode 28: Wizard and Glass, "Susan (Part 2)"
November 29, 2017 01:00 - 1 hour - 37.5 MBChase Greenlee and Jeremy Greer join me for the second portion of "Susan", where Roland finally gives in to his temptation and gets the entire ka-tet into profound danger. Meanwhile, Rhea watches and gets stranger.
Episode 27: Wizard and Glass, "Susan (Part 1)"
November 15, 2017 00:00 - 2 hours - 57.4 MBAutumn and Jeremy Greer join me for an episode that begins a flashback to Roland's first adventure as a gunslinger. He, Alain, and Cuthbert venture to the town of Hambry in the eastern barony of Mejis for protection... but instead find themselves in the grips of a larger plot and greater danger. This chapter introduces us to Susan, Rhea, and the Big Coffin Hunters.
Episode 26: Wizard and Glass, "Riddles"
October 31, 2017 20:00 - 1 hour - 39.4 MBEvan Jones Thorne joins me to talk about the resolution to the cliffhanger from the Waste Lands, as we learn how the ka-tet escapes from the clutches of the mad train Blaine the Mono. But what they find outside his careening hull isn't much better. Did you really expect it to be? Special Guest: Evan Jones Thorne.
Episode 25: The Stand (Part 2)
October 17, 2017 21:00 - 2 hours - 74.9 MBIt's a battle between good and evil in the desert (minus the crocodile man). Murph Murphy joins me to discuss the back half of The Stand, all the way through the end. Though we speak only in broad strokes, we also talk about the Stand miniseries. Next week, we'll begin Wizard and Glass. My life for you!
Episode 24: The Stand (Part 1)
October 03, 2017 20:00 - 2 hours - 66.7 MBThis week I'm joined by Autumn Greer and Evan Jones Thorne to talk about the first part of Stephen King's original magnum opus: The Stand. It's a massive sprawling book, so we can only introduce characters and talk about the early days of their journey. Come along with us to hear about the superflu, survival in a world devoid of people, and the nascent stages of a battle between good and evil.
Episode 23: It (The Movie)
September 19, 2017 09:00 - 2 hours - 56.4 MBA movie so good your heart will soar. Or float, at least. Jeremy Greer and Bryan May come along to talk about a movie so good it almost makes up for how disappointing the Dark Tower adaptation was.
Episode 22: The Mist
September 05, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBGary Buttefield joins the show to talk about Stephen King's novella (and the associated movie) that's all about what we become when the fear sets in. An otherworldly fog containing hideous monsters has descended on a small town, and perhaps the only survivors are locked away in a grocery store. The pressure is on.
Episode 21: The Dark Tower Movie
August 22, 2017 23:00 - 2 hours - 79.5 MBGo home, there probably won't be other films like these. I'm joined by Jeremy Greer and Evan Jones Thorne to talk about the recent Dark Tower film adaptation. The episode is nearly twice as long as the movie itself, but there's a lot to talk about here. So grab some popcorn and hear us lament the death of opportunity.
Episode 20: The Waste Lands, "Riddles and Wastelands"
August 08, 2017 19:00 - 1 hour - 30.5 MBThis train doesn't stop. Autumn and Paddy join the show to discuss the thrilling, anxiety-inducing conclusion to the Waste Lands. With Lud rapidly decaying behind them and nothing but cracked land and horrible monsters below, our Ka-Tet are left to deal with an insane AI embodied in the train they're riding. Their guns will be useless, and they will quite literally have to rely on their wits.
Episode 19: The Waste Lands, "Bridge and City (Part 2)"
July 25, 2017 17:00 - 1 hour - 53.2 MBTick tock, Blaine is waiting. The horrors of Lud have come to bear, as Chase Greenlee, Murph Murphy, and Evan Jones Thorne come along to talk about the Tick Tock Man and the first appearance of Blaine (who is both a pain and a train). Listen to find out if Roland can help Jake, and if Eddie and Susannah can untangle the twisted mess of Blaine's psyche.
Episode 18: The Waste Lands, "Bridge and City (Part 1)
July 11, 2017 20:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBGot any Gushers for Gasher? This week, Autumn Greer and Paddy Smith stop by to talk about the first portion of the climax of The Waste Lands. Instead of finding wise elves and dune buggies in the city of Lud, our ka-tet instead find teeming masses of raiders committing heinous acts beneath the victims of their sacrifices. We're introduced to Gasher, a singularly unpleasant character who breaks up our group by kidnapping Jake. Roland and Oy go after him, while Susannah and Eddie look for the f...
Episode 17: The Waste Lands, "Town and Ka-Tet"
June 27, 2017 23:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBLet's take a breather and get to know each other. This week, Jeremy Greer and Paddy Smith come along to talk about what happens when a full ka-tet is formed. Jake is firmly in Mid-World, and he's even attracted a furry friend. This chapter is a much-needed break, as the gang finds their first friendly civilization and finally compares notes on where they came from.
Episode 16: The Waste Lands, "Door and Demon"
June 13, 2017 14:00 - 1 hour - 46.5 MBThis is what it's like when worlds collide. This week, the Greer family (Jeremy and Autumn) tag along to talk about the convergence of Jake and Roland's realities. As Roland's crew crosses into Mid-World, Jake follows Eddie in the past to a haunted mansion. One heightened and violent scene later, our Ka-Tet is that much closer to completion.
Episode 15: The Waste Lands, "Key and Rose"
May 31, 2017 02:00 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBAlive and dead at the same time, Jake Chambers finds comfort. This week, Kole is joined by Jeremy Greer and Paddy Smith to talk about "Key and Rose", the chapter that looks at Jake's fate after the events of The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three. He's an ordinary boy living his life in Manhattan in 1977, but he's also a living paradox. Driven insane by the memories of events that never were, he leaves school to find a very, very important abandoned lot.
Episode 14: The Waste Lands, "Bear and Bone"
May 16, 2017 14:00 - 1 hour - 53.3 MBA brief period of calm gives way to action, insanity, and direction. This week, I'm joined by Autumn Greer and Evan Jones Thorne to talk about the first chapter of The Waste Lands. After a whole book of sickness and struggles, Roland, Eddie, and Susannah have had a chance to recuperate and train in the woods. But there are two problems: Roland is losing his mind, and there's someone in the forest who wants them out.
Episode 13: Rose Madder
May 02, 2017 14:00 - 2 hours - 69.6 MBShe is Rosie, Rosie Real. This week we take a small break from the Dark Tower series to look at Stephen King's Rose Madder, published in 1994. Autumn Greer and Evan Jones Thorne join me to talk about Rosie's flight from the terrifying and abusive Norman Daniels, one of King's scariest villains. We also look at the connections between Rosie's world and that of Roland. There are more than you might think. A quick warning: This book contains some upsetting subject matter. Even more than you migh...
Episode 12: The Drawing of the Three, "The Pusher (Part 2)"
April 18, 2017 14:00 - 1 hour - 38.8 MBThe Drawing of the Three comes to a close as Roland gets the three things he needs: bullets, pills, and revenge. This week, I'm joined by Jeremy Greer and Sean Wagoner to discuss the climax and conclusion of the second book in the series. Eddie is in peril, Roland is in the body of a serial killer, and Detta is holding all of the cards. Though this is a relatively short section of book to discuss, it's dense with action and has some defining scenes for our hero.
Episode 11: The Drawing of the Three, "The Pusher (Part 1)"
April 04, 2017 14:00 - 1 hour - 33.7 MBThreads of fate converge as Roland enters the mind of Jack Mort, the wildcard. This week, Kole Ross is joined by Autumn Greer and Paddy Smith to get into the head of Roland's third, his "Death, but not for you." After struggling up the beach with Detta and reaching the ends of their ropes, Roland passes through the third door and finds himself in New York City in the 1970s, inhabiting the body of a truly loathsome man. As he gets his bearings, a weary Eddie gets caught off guard by Detta.
Episode 10: The Drawing of the Three, "The Lady of Shadows (Part 2)"
March 21, 2017 14:00 - 1 hour - 33.3 MBDetta proves to be much more difficult to deal with than her nicer half, as Roland pushes her (and himself) to the very edge. This week, Kole Ross is joined by Autumn Greer, Chase Greenlee, and Paddy Smith to take a long look at how Roland and Eddie cope with their second drawn friend. Whenever she falls asleep, there's no telling which one will wake up... The amiable but frightened Odetta Holmes, or the poisonous and violent Detta Walker. The trek up the beach is complicated by her physical ...
Episode 9: The Drawing of the Three, "The Lady of Shadows Part 1"
March 07, 2017 15:00 - 1 hour - 36.5 MBThe march up the beach only gets worse when the second of the Three turns out to be real trouble. This week, Kole Ross is joined by Chase Greenlee, Evan Jones Thorne, and Paddy Smith to introduce the second of The Three... an unassuming woman from the Civil Rights era who has a twisted hidden half. Let's learn about Odetta Holmes, the Lady of Shadows. And when things get uncomfortable, we can return to the Boyz on the Beach!