Not only did my daughter introduce, she badgered me and badgered me until I finally tried it. So glad I did…I love it.
ETA: That intro music is sooo vibe.
There’s a comment floating around tumblr that says something like, “If Lovecraft was ‘Look not upon this alien geometry lest it drive you mad’, Night Vale is ‘For anyone driven mad by the alien geometry, the Night Vale clinic will be open from 8 to 6 Monday-Friday, noon to 4 Saturday and closed Sunday.’”
Hah, that is completely accurate!
[QUOTE=Cecil Baldwin, Episode 5]
Friends, listeners—there’s a real tarantula problem here in Night Vale. Many residents have called in to report that illiteracy, unwanted pregnancy, and violent crime are on the rise in the tarantula communities. Animal control is addressing these concerns through after school programs called ‘Teach a Spider to Read. Stop the Madness.’ Those interesting in volunteering should stand in their bathtubs and weep until it is all gone. Nothing left. You can let go now. Let go. Shhhh. Let go.
[/QUOTE]
Interestingly enough, one of the creators said in an interview (paraphrased) that he is really not a fan of Lovecraft at all – either the writing style, or the dude himself (who, like the Apache Tracker, was a racist asshole) – but that H.P.'s concept of “things that are too unknowable for the human mind to encompass” is still a fantastic one, and certainly an inspiration.
D O W N L O A D I N G . . .
Even though I would never try something like this. If it weren’t for you folks, and how I trust your advice…
It’s like that night I slurped a shotglass full of “Green Nitrous Dragon” at a poker game, just because I trusted Jake’s little brother… oooooh-hooooo…
The concept that a protest against the removal of the Shape In Grove Park That No One Acknowledges Or Speaks About was hampered buy the fact it was difficult to organise because no one acknowledges or speaks about the* Shape *had me laughing loud enough to wake my wife up.
I think that episode (5) was where the series really got going for me, especially when Cecil gets all solipsistic in sympathy with the Shape:
[QUOTE=Cecil]
It seems the city council, in their superhuman mercy and all-seeing glory, have chosen to move the Shape directly in front of our own radio station, where it is continuing to be what can only be described as…indescribable. The Shape was not available for comment, as I could find no one willing to speak to it, or even meet my eye when I mentioned it. It has occurred to me that I may be the only one able to see it.
Now that I think about it, I have *also *never bothered to actually check whether this mike is attached to any sort of recording or broadcasting device. And, it is possible that I am alone in an empty universe, speaking to no one, unaware that the world is held aloft merely by my delusions and my smooth, sonorous voice. More on this story as it develops, I say, possibly only to myself.
[/QUOTE]
Just wanted to say starting in with ep 2 was definitely the right move - I finished that and ep 3 and I’m liking it more now.
This morning I was listening to ep 2 while waiting for the bus in the rain, and listening to the song about waiting for the bus in the rain. How meta.
Sorry, but I just don’t get the love for it. All it seems to be is a series of random, eccentric or outlandish short pieces. I’ve listened to the first 2 and I’m starting on the third. I’ll finish the third just to see if it gets better, but I’m not hopeful. I guess it’s a YMMV thing.
J.
The latest episode (“Dana”) came out on September 1, and I found it really enjoyable. I thought they did a great job with the suspense, and tied it in nicely with both outstanding questions (the house in Desert Creek that doesn’t exist, the door in the desert) and past references (the black metal trees).
Also, this:
(And then there was Cecil’s mention of Carlos’s “perfect teeth and hair and penchant for sometimes chewing a little more loudly than is preferred”. Dare I suggest that the bloom is off the rose just a little bit? :D)
I was amazed at how ridiculously happy I was to find that Cecil wasn’t just wasting his time with his Carlos obsession. It’s probably a sign of good writing that this is the thing that sticks out for me amongst the hooded figures, the dog park, the glow cloud, and the dragon’s mayoral campaign.
Good writing, yeah. As more than a few people have pointed out, it’s really quite refreshing to realize that the same-gender crush/eventually-requited relationship between Cecil and Carlos is arguably the most immediately relatable and familiar aspect of Night Vale.
They are doing a couple nights of the show live here in October. Tickets sold out fast. I nabbed a few. Can’t wait.
You going to the Brooklyn show? I saw your post and tried to get tix but sold out. 
No, these are shows in North Carolina.
This podcast has rocketed to the top of the iTunes charts, and I can understand why. The premise is that you’re listening to a community talk radio program. The announcer has a calm, affable voice, and he informs listeners of local news, politics, and community activities. Only, Night Vale isn’t your standard small town in the desert. It seems to be a nexus of fantasy, science fiction, horror, and conspiracy theory activity. For instance, here’s a representative snippet: Alert: the Sherriff’s Secret Police are searching for a fugitive named Hiram McDaniels, who escaped custody last night following a 9pm arrest. McDaniels is described as a five-headed dragon, approximately 18 feet tall, with mostly green eyes and weighing about 3600 pounds. He is suspected of insurance fraud. It’s even funnier when you’re listening, and you can’t scan ahead and spoil the jokes.
Each cast is about 20 minutes long, and also includes “the weather,” which is actually a musical number from varied artists and genres. For me, it would be ideal if they left that part out, as it doesn’t really have anything to do with the theme of the podcast, but it’s easy enough to skip through.
Check it out! And remember - there are no dogs allowed in the dog park.
Current thread-
And yes, it is that good!
Damn it! I searched, I swear! OP reported.
I actually really like the weather part. It’s a nice break from the eldritch zaniness of the rest of the show.
Found this as well. It kinda grows on you. After the first five or six, I listened to the date with Carlos, and that was really sweet.
For those of you wondering, there are recurring characters, but there’s not really arcs (except for the announcers infatuation with Carlos). There’s a two-part Sandstorm episode in which we got to hear from Desert Bluffs (a neighboring town that’s the Flanders to Night Vale’s Halloween-episode Simpsons).
Not really laugh out loud most of the time. Mostly, you’re trying to figure out this town and people’s relationships with authority. If you think about how well everyone falls in line with the government, you might have some idea what it’s like to live in a terror dictatorship, like Russia under Stalin. Sure, people disappear, and there’s stories about the camps. But, hey, you going to the high school’s football game? What do you think of the quarterback?
I started listening on the strength of the thread(s) here, and the stories and style are entertaining. But the musical interlude takes me right out of it. Now that Art Bell is back, Night Vale has dropped a couple of notches on my “weird stuff” listening queue.