Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Merry Yule, everyone. Today, just in time for us to call it a Christmas gift to you, we present just a taste of our Super Secret Project that we've been cooking up for over a year now, one which we have given the provisional title, “Project Mercy Seat.” We don't … Continue reading "Ep. No. 46 Just a Taste of the Elixir: a “Project Mercy Seat” Teaser"

The Last of Us series of games on Playstation did a great deal to promote serious consideration of the medium as a true narrative art form. The performances, the attention to detail in building its characters and world, and especially the writing and directing from Neil Druckmann and others gave a story that players are … Continue reading "Ep. No. 45 HBO's The Last of Us, and the Terrifying Power of Love"

2022 was something of an experiment for Karl and Jubel, and we believe it was a resounding success. We've always talked about wanting to incorporate more interviews into the mix, so we did five consecutive interview episodes exploring Twin Peaks: The Return. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to John Thorne, Rob King, John … Continue reading "Ep. No. 44 Twin Peaks: The Return Rewatch Wrap-up"

This episode marks the last in a series of five episodes following our re-watch of Twin Peaks: The Return, which feature guests each of whom bring a unique and thorough perspective to the puzzling, beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking, harrowing and frustrating text that is Twin Peaks. Karl and I would love to offer our deepest thanks … Continue reading "Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks: The Return Part 5"

This is the next in our series of revisits of Twin Peaks: The Return. This time we are happy today to have with us author, teacher, and co-host of The Bicks Podcast (Formerly Bickering Peaks), Lindsay Stamhuis. We begin by covering Parts 13-16, but we branch out and talk about the series as a whole. … Continue reading "Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks: The Return Part 4"

We are happy to begin our next exploration into the Return with John Bernardy: journalist, Twin Peaks master-theorist, and host of Blue Rose Task Force podcast, which I believe is the first of its kind, being a holistic podcast that looks at the entirety of Twin Peaks including production details. John, Karl and Jubel start … Continue reading "Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks: The Return Part 3"

Greetings Listeners! We continue our series of guest-packed Twin Peaks: The Return re-watch discussions with author, scholar, and all-around lovely gent Rob E. King! Rob E. King is an associate librarian at Texas Tech University's Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library and a doctoral student in English at Texas Tech University. He has contributed to 25YL, Blue Rose … Continue reading "Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks: The Return Part 2"

Greetings listeners! This week we are excited to have on, as our first guest in a five-part retrospective of Twin Peaks: The Return, none other than John Thorne, author and co-creator of the Wrapped in Plastic magazine, and more recently Blue Rose magazine, and co-host of In Our House Now Podcast: An Inquiry Into Twin … Continue reading "Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents About Twin Peaks: The Return Part 1"

When Karl and Jubel realized that they had passed the five year mark of the podcast, they thought it would be fitting to return to their “Tangents About Twin Peaks” roots, and use Mark Frost's The Final Dossier as a springboard to dive into Twin Peaks as a whole. What resulted is our longest episode … Continue reading "Ep. No. 38 A Return to Tangents About Twin Peaks and a Deep Dive Into the Final Dossier"

Here's a short reading by your Humble Co-Host Jubel Brosseau, of “Yule Horror,” a short poem by H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft made a habit of writing Christmas poems every year that he sent to friends and family, but generally they were mild, festive affairs. This poem delves into a dark vision of the pagan origins of … Continue reading "Ep. No. 37 Yule Horror by H.P. Lovecraft"

“Dreams are messages from the Deep” In this episode, a review and impromptu analysis of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's “Dune,” Karl and Jubel are surprised to find their views and thoughts on the film evolving as they break it down. They share a few laughs as they compare/contrast the film with David Lynch's … Continue reading "Ep. No. 36 The Deep and The Dune(s)"

“It never got weird enough for us”  Here's some audiovisual notes about today's podcast: Guild Navigator – Dune Ben (Dean Stockwell) from Blue Velvet The “Bum” behind Winkies Mr. and Mrs. X (Mary X's parents from Eraserhead Mrs. Tremond (and her grandson Pierre) Lil from Fire Walk With Me “The Baby” – Eraserhead “Oh You're … Continue reading "Ep. No. 35 Ten Top Weird “weirdos, Lynchian”"

Jubel and Karl give in to the lure of nostalgia and return to movies that they haven’t seen in 25 years or so: The Keep and Phantasm.  These are weird movies, and also really Weird movies. We talk about them, how we enjoyed them in our salad days, and what they mean to us now. … Continue reading "Ep. No. 34: Children of Keep and Phantasm"

….But Counter-Esperanto will return: Greetings Listeners, Jubel Brosseau here. We are doing something a little different with this episode. Late June saw the release of the long-awaited sequel to The Last of Us, a fan-favorite and critically heralded game exclusive to the Sony Playstation platform. The Last of Us Part 2 had a lot to … Continue reading "Ep. No. 33: This is… “The Last of Us”"

Millennium is Coming    “We apologise for the inconvenience.”

In this episode, your hosts delve into two jungles; one 8,000 miles removed from from familiar Twin Peaks psychogeography, and the other in the very center of America’s heartland.  One set in, arguably, the most hopeful American Decade, the 1960s.  The other marinates in the psychic despair of “The End of History.” Both, in their … Continue reading "Ep. No. 31 Horror and the Zeitgeist: Candyman’s Heart of Darkness"

“You are entering the vicinity of an area adjacent to a location. The kind of place where there might be a monster or some kind of weird mirror. These are just examples.  It could also be something much better. Prepare to enter, The Scary Door.” — Futurama, “A Head In The Polls” An episode about … Continue reading "Ep. No. 30, Apertures and Doorways"

We grew up In Search of…  the Mysteries of the Unknown.  For those shows–and indeed for most of the 20th Century–the arch unknown has been Alien. So, your hosts will be talking about Aliens.  We talk a lot about how very, very similar our modern abduction narratives are to 17th Century fairy stories, and a little about how Twin … Continue reading "Ep. No. 29, Flying Saucers are Real!!!!"

Today, Counter Esperanto is celebrating Women in Horror Month, which is February and therefore a bit in the rear-view mirror, but now it’s March, which is Women’s History Month, so it all works out in the end! Karl and Jubel begin by discussing Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and “Don’t Look Now.” Daphne du Maurier brought … Continue reading "Ep. No. 28, “Don’t Look Now” Rebecca, it’s Women in Horror Month (sorta)"

For this “minisode,” Karl and Jubel discuss “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, our most recent reading, which features all-new music and sound design, and a masterful performance by actress Suzanne Owens-Duval. We break down the story’s use of the “unreliable narrator” device, its nebulous supernaturalism, and its role as an influential work of … Continue reading "Ep. No. 27, The Yellow Wallpaper by Gaslight, a Counter Esperanto discussion"

As with most pieces of great literature, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is many things simultaneously. It is an exquisite ghost story, a prime example of the “unreliable narrator” in short fiction, a psychologically astute depiction of a descent into madness, and a legendary piece of 19th century feminist writing. For this reading, … Continue reading "Ep. No. 26 — The Eighth Song: “The Yellow Wallpaper”"

We talk about ghosts in this one. We start at Laura Palmer’s suffused spirit and how it haunts Twin Peaks for most of the original run and our dreams ever since, then I completely fail to bring that conversation around to discussing Sarah Palmer and how she haunts the family home, but don’t worry, Jubel makes … Continue reading "Ep. No. 25: The 18th Secret or “A Ghost of a Memory”"

“I have a question for you. Apologies, it’s a bit of a long one, but I think I’m going to need to unpack it a bit. Okay. So you love Mark Fisher’s The Weird and the Eerie. I want to talk a little bit more about the Eerie, because you so often talk about the … Continue reading "Ep. No. 24: The 17th Secret or “A Question and Some Answers”"

This week, Rob King of 25 Years Later joins us in a non-synchronous, phase-shifted, pan-dimensional interview. Not to worry, we’ll still throw more tangents per minute than any other podcast of this type! (what type are we again?) Apology: Diane, you are academics of several wonderful types not merely “of a type” please forgive the slip … Continue reading "Ep. No. 23: The 16th Secret: Rob King and the Questions Ten"

We’re back! Back in the Twin Peaks zone… Some Notes on the 15th Secret of Counter Esperanto: How is Red like a courtly fool? Why is China back in the Twin Peaks Narrative? Will we say something about infiltration? Will it reference Mark Fisher’s The Weird and the Eerie? Will we find a white paper … Continue reading "Ep. No. 22: The 15th Secret: “Season Two, Episode One”"

Here’s something a little different… It used to be that the dark of the year was the time to tell each other ghost stories, and so this particular song would not be out of place with it’s six fellows. Yet, it is very different indeed, for those other stories were all–or claimed to be–fiction. This one … Continue reading "Ep. No. 21 — The Seventh Song: “Horror at Harold House”"

The holidays are holiday-rific as they say, and their multi-spectral horror and insane blandishments have had certain “insalubrious” effects upon your humble hosts.  Rallying against this tinseled terror, we present for your hopeful approval, the initial results, interpretations, commentary and tangential matters arising from Jubel’s academic study of folklore. We asked for your help to … Continue reading "Ep. No. 20 — The 14th Secret: Folklore of (and in) Twin Peaks"

Much like the corpus of our favorite TV Show/Movie/Franchise/Intellectual Property/… “Art”, this story has something of a tortuous production background, interference from the studio…er, the publisher (Weird Tales) resulted in at least two versions, and later editors have combined these in various arrangements. A number of synopsizes further confuse the issue of original authorial intent, … Continue reading "EP No. 19 — The 6th Song: “The Beast of Averoigne by Clark Ashton Smith”"

In their first post-finale podcast about Twin Peaks: The Return, Karl and Jubel begin what will surely be the long task of parsing out what the hell just happened. Setting aside the cross-textual analysis for the most part, they look at how Lynch/Frost structured the Return, discuss some of their favorite (and least favorite) elements, … Continue reading "EP No. 18 — The 13th Secret: “What year is it anyway?”"

After some major technical issues, your intrepid hosts are back and talking about Twin Peaks: The Return, with a focus on Parts 9 through 12.  True to form, we live up to the “tangents” part of our title, talking about everything from the intricacies of story structure in modern premium television, to why we love … Continue reading "EP No. 17 — The 12th Secret: “or… ‘Technical Difficulties: Being a Cadenza in Several Parts for Resonator and Atom Bomb'”"

An overarching theme of The Weird is that some knowledge is–or should be–forbidden. That seeing into the abyss means that it’s denizens may see you, reach you, touch you… and do worse than see and touch. In various ways, Twin Peaks has always dealt with this idea. Sara Palmer, the Log Lady, and Cooper himself all found themselves … Continue reading "The Fifth Song: “From Beyond”"

Today, ladies and gentlemen, we will concentrate on “Eight”. The 8th installment of Twin Peaks: The Return, we feel, will be looked on as the beginning of a new thing in the world of Television. It is also the best information we have today about the ultimate beginnings of BOB, Laura, and… Gnosticism? It’s a … Continue reading "The 11th Secret: “A Beginning is a Very Delicate Time…”"

In this episode, we wrestle with the awesome beauty and genius of David Lynch’s triumphant Return to Twin Peaks by way of Buckhorn South Dakota, Philadelphia and… New. York. City? We won’t get a rope, but we will explore what is in The Box!

It’s hard to believe that we have already made it to the 9th secret of Counter Esperanto, and because 9 is a magic number we talk a lot about magic this time. The magic of 25 years ago and the anticipated magic of next week. The power of poetry, the nitty-gritty of pulling down the … Continue reading "The Ninth Secret: Almost 25 Years later…"

The Music of Erich Zann is a haunting reminiscence of a place found outside the normal rules of society, order and physics. Something exists behind the high wall that only Erich Zann can see over. Does he long to see? Or is he afraid of the cold fire from beyond that longs to walk with … Continue reading "The Fourth Song: “The Music of Erich Zann”"

For artists, their outlook of the world can be expressed in the form of discrete symbol systems, and in this way artists are likely to refer to their art as their children. For this is true in a partially incestuous way. Our start positions in life are given to us primarily by our experiential parents: … Continue reading "The Eighth Secret: Weird Outlooks"

The Horla is all about a creature from “outside” that causes a previously good and sane person to doubt their sanity, indulge in actions of questionable moral turpitude and ultimately make a terrible choice with unknown consequences. Sound familiar? Read by Karl Eckler the Elder. Music and Engineering by Jubel Brosseau

She is the reason that we are first introduced to the town of Twin Peaks, but died before that lonely foghorn first blew. Homecoming Queen and sex worker, murder victim and drug dealer, charity volunteer and thief, Laura is a character that exists beyond the pale boundaries of “good” and “bad” that television–especially the soap … Continue reading "The Seventh Secret, or Our Tribute to Laura Palmer"

Nathan Carson is the drummer for Witch Mountain, a Doom Metal band from one of our favorite Twin Peaks adjacent cities, Portland! He’s also (in no particular order) a Twin Peaks fan, a really cool dude, and the author of the Bizarro Fiction novel Starr Creek which is perhaps more Lovecraftian than Peakian, but is very, very … Continue reading "The Sixth Secret, bright with sinuous rills of “Starr Creek”"

The Key to the Key of Theosophy, a Counter Esperanto joint. Being a mostly Clear, although somewhat muddled Exposition, in the Form of questionable Question and improbable Answer, of the ETHICS, SCIENCE, AND PHILOSOPHY (such as they are) for the Study of which The Theosophical Society founded itself. Also, trick riding and Owls that are … Continue reading "The Fifth Secret: Talking Theosophically…"

This ain’t no Star Wars Christmas Special folks. This is Karl Eckler the Elder reading H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Festival“, a story about the Yule-time, which is older than Christmas and fated to survive it.

The detective hero falls into a few quickly identifiable types: There is the tough guy, like Mike Hammer or Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op; the systematic police that shows up on Law & Order or CSI; and of course there is the brainy “Great Detective” embodied in Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. And then there is Dale … Continue reading "The Fourth Secret: Ten Things We Love About Dale Cooper"

As promised, this week we take out our microscopes to examine things as they are, and as they might be. Jubel examines Weirdness as a literary and cultural phenomenon, while Karl goes and gets himself lost in the woods… and the mountains, the high plateaus, the river-bottoms, the deserts and mysteries of upper air. No … Continue reading "The Third Secret: What We Talk About When We Talk About Weird"

Along with the rest of the country, we have been a little too successful at our “Counter Esperanto,” and the heaping plates of Double R Diner Turkey Specials have done us in for yet another year. And yet, in our repletion, we have not forgotten you, gentle listener, and so we offer up this holiday … Continue reading "The First Song: Into the Night, Beside the Lake"

In this mini-sode, the terrible twosome find traces from nowhere leading into the town of Twin Peaks: impossible octopi and the Fortean “Star Slime” that rains down mysteriously on the just and the unjust alike. No connections, says you? We got your connections right here. Get 'em while they're still wet and wriggling!

The Counter Esperanto Podcast: Tangents about Twin Peaks is the work of Karl Eckler and Jubel Brosseau, and represents their first foray into podcasting about their Weird interests.  This is not a recap podcast (there are plenty of those), spoilers abound as Jubel and Karl discuss the Twin Peaks mythos as a whole, generally working … Continue reading "The First Episode of the Counter Esperanto Podcast"