# Anyone else listening to "Welcome to Night Vale"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318 "2013-07-23T19:19:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/1 "2013-07-23T19:19:12Z")
I have, and I’m hooked (as are many others, judging from how it’s currently burning up the rankings on iTunes). It’s a podcast that consists of radio broadcasts from a small, civic-minded town named Night Vale, somewhere out in the desert among the sand wastes…and where the standards for “normalcy” are decidedly different from our own. But fear not, citizens! Your friendly community radio personality, Cecil, is ready and willing to help you navigate your life in Night Vale in soothing, dulcet tones. [Welcome to Night Vale](http://www.welcometonightvale.com/) The best way I can describe this is a blend of Twilight Zone, NPR and Prairie Home Companion, with a heaping helping of the SCP Foundation and a dash of Lovecraftian existential horror thrown in. Look to the obelisk. We don’t know where it came from, but it’s attracting a lot of cats. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD. ALL HAIL. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/2 "2013-07-23T23:02:06Z")
I am now. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/3 "2013-07-23T23:53:27Z")
I will be now. The bit about the football player struck by a bolt of sentient lightning and becoming as strong as two Jeeps and intelligent as a “heavily concussed René Descartes” gave me a good laugh. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/4 "2013-07-24T14:02:35Z")
This was started by one of the posters (and former mod?) on Something Awful – you can read his thread about it [here](http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3493679), with a lot of behind the scenes info on how it’s put together. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/5 "2013-07-24T17:37:47Z")
Unfortunately, that Something Awful thread is locked to non-subscribers, but there’s [an article/interview with the creators here](http://www.brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9689%3Awelcome-to-night-vale-part-one), as well. I’m up to Episode 20 now, and they just keep getting better and better-- 13 and 19 (A and B), in particular, are very creative storytelling. > [@](#): > > Listeners, we are currently fielding numerous reports that books have stopped working. It seems that all over Night Vale, books have simply ceased functioning. The scientists are studying one of the broken books to see if they can understand just what is going on here. The exact problem is currently unclear, but some of the words being used include ‘sparks,’ ‘meat smell,’ ‘biting,’ and ‘lethal gas.’ For your own safety, please do not attempt to open a book until we have more information on the nature and cause of these problems. > > - Cecil Baldwin (Episode 3, Station Management) ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/6 "2013-07-24T17:38:00Z")
Welp, now I’m hooked. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/7 "2013-07-24T17:52:29Z")
> [@Battle\_Pope](#): > > The bit about the football player struck by a bolt of sentient lightning and becoming as strong as two Jeeps and intelligent as a “heavily concussed René Descartes” gave me a good laugh. Plus the fact that the lightning strike also (somehow) cured his cerebral palsy, as well as his restoring his missing left hand which had been removed as a penalty for numerous overdue library books. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/8 "2013-07-29T18:31:21Z")
Just finished ep1. This is quite interesting. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/9 "2013-07-29T18:34:55Z")
Episode 1 was their demo and so is a bit rougher than later ones (but still good). As time passes, they really improve, and Cecil finds more of his voice. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/10 "2013-07-29T19:03:20Z")
I’m not, but it’s all over Tumblr… so I might as well be. ---
**Author:** ![MostlyClueless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@MostlyClueless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MostlyClueless)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/11 "2013-08-27T19:20:13Z")
Great writing. I finished the latest episode, so now the waiting starts… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/12 "2013-08-27T19:25:19Z")
[_Wired_ did a good article on it a few days ago.](http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/08/night-vale-podcast-itunes/) ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/13 "2013-08-27T19:46:53Z")
Sounds great! Checking it out. . . ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/14 "2013-08-27T20:31:24Z")
I just caught up during last evening’s run, and am now sad that I’ll have to wait. The dangers of binging! They’ve really gotten much more well-produced as the show has gone on; I remember being a touch annoyed early on that the “original music by Disparition” was more or less random, without any particular tie to whatever Cecil happened to be talking about. Not a big deal–I can imagine a no-budget community radio show actually doing that. But recently, I’ve noticed that the background music fits the foreground talk, which is a nice touch. My only real complaint is “the weather”, which doesn’t really mesh with the rest of the show, and often, IMO, su… is not to my taste. But it’s a tiny complaint in an otherwise awesome and too short show. (All podcasts should be at least 35-40 minutes long, to accommodate my run, together with any prep time for it. :)) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/15 "2013-08-27T20:32:56Z")
My daughter introduced me. She loves it. The wiring is quite clever. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/16 "2013-08-27T20:55:33Z")
[ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GLOW CLOUD](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWiFuNKqwTU). HAIL AND WORSHIP, PUNY MORTALS. Shameless self-promotion, but hey! Arduino programming is fun. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/17 "2013-08-27T21:31:39Z")
My cosplayer friends introduced me to this podcast, and I love it. I love how matter-of-fact Cecil is when talking about events that would send most radio personalities running for the hills. And how he’s so madly in love with Carlos, the scientist with the perfect hair. A couple of people I know have even cosplayed as Cecil. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Righteous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Dr.Righteous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Righteous)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/18 "2013-08-27T21:52:26Z")
> [@FlyingRat](#): > > Episode 1 was their demo and so is a bit rougher than later ones (but still good). As time passes, they really improve, and Cecil finds more of his voice. Well, this is good to know. So many people love it (and it sounds like something I’d dig) that I gave it a listen and I couldn’t get through the first one. I think I’ll try it again with ep 2 and see how it goes. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/19 "2013-08-28T00:06:19Z")
Nightvale was mentioned to me by a member of a younger generation than I. Sounds intriguing, how do I listen? Do I have to subscribe ( to a newsletter ) or something? Do I need a fancy i-device? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318/20 "2013-08-28T01:55:50Z")
Go here, download the mp3s, and listen to them in whichever program or device you usually use to listen to mp3s. (Not sure if the link in the OP is supposed to lead somewhere to download them, since it doesn’t work.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-listening-to-welcome-to-night-vale/664318.md?page=2)