Podcast aggregator Goodpods (a sort of Goodreads for podcasts) recently prompted me to add a Q&A section to the page for my Bradbury 100 podcast. Here's what I came up with:
Why did you start Bradbury 100?
2020 was the centenary year of popular fantasy and science fiction author Ray Bradbury - but all the planned celebrations (at San Diego ComicCon, World Science Fiction Convention etc) were being cancelled because of the pandemic. So I decided to interview as many Bradbury friends, colleagues and fans as I could, and that became the podcast, Bradbury 100! When the centenary year was over, I decided to continue the pod with an exploration of different aspects of Bradbury's life and works.
What do you hope listeners gain from listening to your show?
A deeper insight into Ray Bradbury and his works. I give listeners background information on how his books were writen. I review books and films. And I reveal odd - but interesting - parts of his true life story, such as the criminal "Lonely One", and murder victim Uncle Lester.
Which episode should someone start with?
If you love Ray's sci-fi, I'd suggest you go with episode 30: Bradbury's OTHER Mars stories. This looks at some of his Martian tales which he DIDN'T incude in his famous book THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. If you like real crime mysteries, try episode 36: the tragic death of Ray's Uncle Lester. Otherwise, just start with episode 1 and work your way through!
Which have been your favourite episodes so far?
I most enjoy looking at abandoned film projects, so for me the best episode is episode 28, which looks at all the film versions of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES which were never made. Another favourite is episode 26, about "The Lonely One". This is a scary fictional character in Bradbury's book DANDELION WINE - but he was inspired by a real criminal who went by that nickname. In this episode, I reveal the true identity of this man.
Which episode are you most proud of?
That's a tough one. I'm proud of the series as a whole, as it has brought together a whole community of Bradbury fans and scholars. But if I had to pick just one episode, it would be the "Death of Uncle Lester" episode. For this, I worked from legal documents from the 1930s to piece together a theory about what really happened the night Ray's uncle got killed.
What is your vision for your show?
To bring more people to the works of Ray Bradbury, and to reveal more hidden aspects of his work.
What is your favourite other podcast that isn't yours?
There are so many, but one that I've been listening to since the earliest days is the long-running SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE. It's been running with the same format for sixteen years, but never gets old!
How did you come up with the name for your podcast?
It more or less named itself, given that the concept was to celebrate 100 years of Ray Bradbury. I should perhaps change the title, now that Bradbury's birth was 102 years ago, but I like the branding (and logo), so I think I'll stick with it.
Tell us a bit about yourself
My day job is teaching filmmaking and screenwriting. When I had the opportunity of doing a PhD, I chose to study Ray Bradbury's screenwriting - something that no one had ever really done before. This brought me into close contact with all sorts of people with a Bradbury connection, and I drew on these contacts to fill the podcast with fascinating interviews. I also have another podcast, SCIENCE FICTION 101, which is something of a spin-off of this one. I just love podcasting!
You can find the Bradbury 100 page on Goodpods here: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/bradbury-100-celebrating-the-life-and-work-of-american-writer-ray-brad-189467
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