Marie WheelerThis week I present to you one of the most bizarre and addictive podcasts to date. I have binge-listened to the first dozen episodes of Welcome to Night Vale with the conflicting sense of, ‘Why am I listening to this?’ and ‘This is hilarious.’
Written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor and performed by Cecil Baldwin with music by Disparition, the premise of the podcast is that you are listening to the community news station of the small, desert town of Night Vale. This small, desert town is likely situated in a dystopian Area 52 in a parallel universe as there are frequent discussions and updates on the Sheriff’s Secret Police and the Dog Park outside of town that the audience is instructed to not think too long or hard about and additionally instructed to NEVER bring their dogs there.
While I will neither confirm nor deny a history of hallucinogens, listening to this podcast makes you wonder if someone slipped something in your water. It is bizarre, but engaging and exhibits a sort of mind control that makes you want to listen to the next episode. Maybe the mind control comes from whatever we are told not to think about in the Dog Park.
I think one of the most enjoyable parts of each episode the weather. Which is not the weather, but instead an interlude of random song. Sometimes it is rock-based, sometimes rap, but always it picks me up. I start to think that maybe I should listen to more music, but truly these are picks that would never be in my lineup. I appreciate that.
So if you want to trip without taking acid, go to the website and download the episodes, find them on your favorite podcasting app or view the YouTube channel. Your brain will thank you for not taking that acid.
