PURGATORY, MISSOURI
Coming to worldwide radio and podcasts in October
08/08/24
So l can finally introduce the incredible cast and crew of my radio drama "Purgatory, Missouri." Playing the role of Roger/38 is Dave Foley ("Kids in the Hall", "News Radio", "Fargo", oh, so many others). Roger is a Newcomer to the Carnival, one of the only characters that believes he is actually dead. The Carnival is quite an eye-opener for Roger/38, who believes the world we all know is actually a computer simulation.
In our new supernatural radio series, "Purgatory, Missouri", Hunter Lowry and I beyond thrilled to have the delightful Mindy Sterling play the conniving, sinister Five. You have seen Mindy EVERYWHERE. For starters, she is Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers series, then there's Conman, iCarly, The Goldbergs, and geez its a long list. AND, her resemblance to a dear friend of ours is UNCANNY.
Here is a quick video prepping a scene from recording session one. Producer Maureen is really in her element behind the desk. Bryan at the board, Gina, Annette, Mindy, Dave and Richard at the mics.
First night of recording our radio drama "Purgatory, Missouri". Dave Foley and Crissy Guerrero at the mics, Bryan Showalter at the board, our director Richard Malmos behind him, Mindy Sterling on the couch, and the guy who asked for a place to sit inside while waiting for his bus.
Our supernatural radio series "Purgatory, Missouri" is back in the studio on August 18th to hopefully complete all voice work! Then comes post, where I will inject more creepiness than seems reasonable in a civilized society. Here is the cast from August 8th - Sam, Gina, Bryan, Julia, Richard, Kilroy, Maureen, Alina, Dave, Crissy, Annette, Nathan and Hunter. Mindy had gone for the day at this point. It's a big cast and even MORE people on August 18th!
08/03/24
Hunter and I have been working on my latest project, “Purgatory, Missouri”, since January. Since I am under a non-disclosure agreement, I could not speak about the project until now. It is the culmination of the last four years of my creative life and in some ways, a summing up of everything I have ever worked on (that sounds pretentious and dramatic, but it is true.)
“Purgatory, Missouri” is a radio drama in seven parts (the first season). You have not heard anything like this before. At first, it will only be in English. If there is enough interest, we will explore other countries and translations into their native tongues. If you hear the series in the coming months and think it would be of interest in your country, please let us know! French will probably be the first translation, but we’re open to suggestions!
The producers have finally given me clearance to reveal some detail. We record all seven 30-minute episodes in several sessions in August 2024. Then it goes into post-production until October. It’s a little autobiographical, and a little psychodrama. Here is some background:As a child, I had many epileptic seizures (petit mal). I would collapse, fall asleep and stop breathing. At 15 years old, I experienced my last major seizure and drowned in my brother’s pool (on his birthday!) During the time between my family discovering me floating face down and (I think) my brother or brother-in-law restarting my heart, I experienced something similar to what my seizures were like as a child. It was a black, almost gauze-like void that I could slowly move through, like an invisible molasses. Imagine a visual version of that slight buzz you hear after long, loud sounds suddenly go silent. I remember waking up with a tube down my throat, then passing out again. Fortunately, that was my last major seizure and I’m one of the lucky people who “outgrew” epilepsy (although I still get head spins from time to time). I have always had an acute awareness of the human clock ticking, as if my next project would be my last, so I better get to it. I’ve had a taste of how thin this veil is. see comments section for more.
I once had a dream where I was aware I was dreaming. I was under water and was called to assist someone’s transition out of our world. There was a long line of us and the body of the departed, arms peacefully folded on his chest, was handed down the line, one by one, bucket-brigade style. We were all under water and tranquil, drone-like music was playing. It felt like the other people on the line with me were real, not figments of my dream. They were there like I was, momentarily enlisted by the Other Side. It was a moving experience and I woke up with tears in my eyes.
After more dreams like that over the years, it made me wonder; when we sleep, do we sometimes visit some kind of afterlife? Can we communicate with each other? What about the people who are sleeping who can’t wake up? Is the sleep state completely different for each and every sleeper? Is the death experience different for everyone? What if sleep and death collide?
“Purgatory Missouri” is an attempt to answer these questions for myself, using the songs from our Dark Americana series. Each episode will explore different songs, mainly from our latest album, “American Gothic.” It takes place in a vast, ramshackle carnival, which, to me, is the perfect setting for Purgatory. No one is sure what this carnival is or how to get out. In each episode you’ll run into Carnies yelling “Step right up!” at newcomers who are struggling to understand where they are. You’ll bump into people the Carnies call “Boogiemen”; souls who are trapped in panicky loops of their final moments, stumbling through the carnival like zombies. Oh – it’s also pretty funny.
More detail to come in the next week or two.