Savoring this episode from the beginning of December would have been nice, but I took a little extra time to make sure this one had a few extra stops pulled out. It is Christmas, after all.

This is the second ever Christmas edition of The Swinging Wake, brought to you by request and proposal of Chrome Skin Jesus of The Razor Blade Dance Floor - you'll understand when you listen.

There are special surprises like visitation upon rarely exploited segments and a couple harry, wassailing friends that drop by.

Fix yourself a warm beverage, press play and enjoy.

For all our new listeners, here's a refresher course:

Just click HERE and you'll be brought to our profile on iTunes. (If nothing happens, open iTunes and then click the link again.)

Then click subscribe. It's free, of course.

Bam - you're subscribed. Enjoy.

This is an episode that will live in infamy.

Submitted for your approval is an episode in which I contribute little more than white-russian-fueled rambling and hung-over complaints while my esteemed colleagues, Dominus Maximus and Neil Hatefuture, provide all the music.

Dom and Neil are of course the regular hosts of Power Forge Radio, and if you enjoy the more aggressive of musical selections they offer, give them a listen.

Good luck.

The last song in the show, though not announced, is "Gargoyles" by Midnight Syndicate.

This is the longest I've ever made you wait for an episode of The Swinging Wake. Nevertheless, you will find herein a special seasonal surprise.

If you seek more information on Harry Potter Day at Disneyland, go here. Otherwise, enjoy the show.

I knew the next episode would take some time to create and publish - I never imagined it would take this long.

A new episode is coming. Know how much I've recorded of it? Not a red second. But I will. Sometime this week. I believe.

The fact is I've been working on a very important project that will show up here in a matter of hours to days that will explain why you have to wait for another dose of The Swinging Wake.

I'm excited about this episode - it's one of the better ones.

Violet DeMent and I will be in the Pacific Northwest in a couple weeks, so this episode will have to tide you over until mid-September.

I'll be flying the colors in enemy territory during the beginning of September. I hope they don't throw morose coffee at me. I'd be moody too, if my team sucked that much.

Take care while I'm gone.

Go halos!

You don't know how long I've been trying to get this episode uploaded. The frustration has probably taken a month off of my life. I hope you enjoy it.

Oh, and here's the video I referenced in the episode - the one that got The Rousers' "Party Boy" stuck in my head, thus inspiring me to open the show with it. Pure genius, this is.

This should have been up earlier - I've been having endless issues uploading the damn thing. My internet connection was crap and my FTP had diabeetus.

But now here it is, episode 27 of The Swinging Wake, guaranteed to be 100% Jacko-Free!

Cha-mon!

Time now for the second ever all-soundtrack edition of The Swinging Wake.

All tunes heard herein originate from the silver screen (with a couple exceptions from the idiot box).

Pour yourself a drink. Turn off the lights. Enjoy.

Oh, and Gothball now has a logo and stencil. If you haven't been to a game, you've been missing out.

Cheers!

Here's the picture of Bob I said I'd post during the episode... Bob is the demented little black one on the right. The one on the left is Spot (my cat)...

Just play the episode. (Click on tsw_25 below.)

Violet DeMent and I are at Bats Day, mingling with the gothapotomai and wondering "just how much differnce do you think that waist-sincher is doing?"

There's a newfangled steampunk crowd emerging from the cauldron, so we're looking forward to seeing them out and about. In fact, they're going to be taking an excursion together on the Mark Twain Steamboat at 14:00.

Episode 25 is currently being recorded. Episode 24 is below, in which I discuss my feelings on Bats Day, past and present.

This episode is dropping far too late to be on track for the usual two-week installment schedule, but out of respect for Nick I felt a desire to complete and publish it sooner than originally intended. This will be the new episode until probably mid-May.

Things like this really throw reality into sharp relief, don't they?

Enjoy the episode.

R.I.P. #34

I've been so busy lately that it took days to record this episode, stealing a moment here or there when I could and the apartment happened to be empty or quiet enough to record.

I'm taking a lovely little holiday in the early part of this month, so I honestly doubt that you'll get another new episode until the beginning of May.

Violet DeMent and I will be up in the heart of Steinbeck country, breathing in the salty sea air. I've been looking forward to this for months.

Have a lovely time while I'm gone.

~Zoe

Yeah, the new episode is late. I'm not happy about it. But damn I'm busy.

Give me a day or two and I'll have something special to tide you over for the month of April.

If you are unsatisfied by this tardiness please return the unused portion for a full refund.

~Zoe Necrosis

So St. Patrick's Day is here again, and my annual tradition for this day never varies: I'll be purchasing a couple six-packs of Guiness and watching "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" followed by "The Quiet Man."

Sean Connery and Janet Munro (scene from Darby O'Gill)

John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (scene from The Quiet Man)

This episode does indeed have a sharp Irish theme to it, but due to my busy schedule I had to cut it a bit short. Think of it as the Fun Size edition of The Swinging Wake.

Anyway, enjoy the show and stay away from the green beer. Drink stout.

As I write this it is six days until the release of "Watchmen" the film. I'm surprised at how much I am looking forward to the release of this adaptation, as I haven't had any enthusiasm about a current cinematic release since "The Dark Knight." I was originally skeptical about this film, the original Alan Moore work being generally considered unfilmable. But every review I've read and every second of footage I've seen suggests that this thing is right on the money.

So you can count on this: the day it comes out, March 6th, I will be there at my local theatre for my traditional "pajama matinee." What on earth is this? you may be asking. Listen to the episode and you'll understand.

The Valentine's Day Edition of The Swinging Wake brings some familiar features back into rotation: not only Tinseltown Bullshit but the beloved Ask Dr. Vertigo.

And of course, I can't help but get in on the whole Christian Bale thing.

So light some candles and enjoy this romantic episode with the one you love, living or dead.

And for those who are still confused as to how to listen straight from this website, either click on the 'Pod' icon to the left of the title or click on 'tsw_20' below.

Oh, P.S. If you want to see how the Gothball experiment is going, there's pictures and video up here.

This week we have a couple songs and a couple stories by Mr Neil Gaiman. The reason for the format this time is explained in the episode.

Turn off the lights and take a journey with me into the dark dimensions of Gaiman's universe.

This episode introduces a new feature I'm calling "Stop Raping My Childhood." Those of you who feel, for example, that George Lucas long ago became more machine than man should appreciate it.

Not that this has anything to do with the episode directly, but while I'm on the subject, has anyone else come to realize that Darth Vader is merely an autobiographical representation of George Lucas himself? He begins as a young, ambitious talent with apparently limitless potential. He shakes things up, while trying to find his way. But in the end, he becomes so consumed by his need to push the boundaries of cinema that he loses his way entirely, forgets what he sought out to do in the first place. Annakin Skywalker was convinced by Palpatine to destroy the Jedi entirely. Some dark force eventually convinced Lucas to wage war against film itself, and by proxy, attempt to destroy cinema. His armor - his digital ones and zeros - seem to be all that's left. The storyteller is gone.

Anyway, enjoy the show.

We're going through with this. The decision was made on October 3rd, 2008.

I was drinking with anger while watching Game Two of the Divisional Playoffs. The Halos were being knocked out of the first round yet again by the Bahstin Chowderheads, the 21st century's magnetic pole for bandwagon yahoos and goatee pilots.

I was sitting on the floor nursing bottle number three (or so). Kat was lying on the sofa, passively observing another abysmal postseason.

"I can play baseball," she said, offhandedly.

"Really?" I replied. "That settles it. We're doing this. I've got to have something to redeem this travesty."

"Doing what?"

"We're doing Gothball in winter or spring of 2009."

I've wanted to do this for a long time. In fact, I drafted this notice a month ago. No more waiting.

The name could just have easily been 'Punkball' or 'Rivetball' or 'Postmodernball.' There's no alteration of the rules, nothing particularly 'Goth' about it at all, save for how my contemporaries tend to dress. In the end, it's just baseball with my friends and acquaintances. Same rules, less talent.

"That might be fun, Zoe, but I haven't played since Little League."

Me neither.

"I sucked back then."

Me too.

"I was never in little league."

Doesn't matter.

"I throw like a girl and couldn't hit water if I fell out of a boat."

So?

"No, seriously, I have no talent whatsoever. I'm clumsy, totally unathletic, uncoordinated, and allergic to oxygen."

Then you'll fit right in with everyone else. And if you can think of something better to do on a breezy weekend afternoon besides goofing around with friends while cheering, laughing, pounding Gatorade, and falling on your ass with gusto, then you should do that.

"... Why are you doing this?"

Because this is what I do. I come up with these wacky schemes and ideas, and then I rope all my friends into participating. And as the years go by, they get bigger and weirder. Haven't you figured this out yet?

"... Alright... What do I need to bring?"

A comfortable pair of shoes. And clothing you don't mind horsing around in or getting a pinch dirty. Whether this means jeans and a t-shirt or kilt and a billowy poet's shirt is entirely up to you.

"Do I need to bring equipment of some kind?"

Probably not. I'm going to try to assemble as much equipment as I can. If you already happen to own a glove or bat or something - by all means, bring it.

"Where are we going to do this?"

That part I haven't figured out yet. Somewhere in the 714 are code, probably. Most baseball diamonds I've come across are fenced off and fairly inaccessible. I'm still trying to find an open, readily accessible field we can use. Suggestions are very welcome.

"Can I invite some friends to participate?"

Does the Pope poop in the woods? Recruit everyone you can. I have to assemble two teams - we'll need a minimum of 19 people.

"Okay, what now?"

Now I'm going to take a tally of wiling participants. Email me at ZoeNecrosis at Yahoo dot com. I also need to know whether you are right or left-handed.

So... are you in or out?

Introducing Violet DeMent, who is at once a molecular biologist, my paramour, and a former college radio DJ.

On this, the first episode of The Swinging Wake for 2009, she acts as guest DJ and co-host. I think you'll enjoy her musical selections. I enjoyed not having to make any decisions this time around.