Just a note that in order to streamline the final episode of “Bluebirds & Dead Canaries” as much as possible, considering that the entire podcast consists of pretty much one very long scene in one room (Hitchcock could pull off such things, as in “Rope” and “Lifeboat,” but not yours truly), I cut about 5 minutes of dialogue from the final podcast. Most of the cuts didn’t impact the story much, but there were items regarding the connections and similarities between Nab and Beechert that helped show their mutual respect and like for one another that I did regret having to jettison. C’est la vie.
Also, further details about our evolutionary physiological triggers (from a more scientific standpoint) had to be excised from the podcast’s final version as well—such as our predisposition to certain sounds and environmental stimuli—all in hopes of keeping the story moving along.
And speaking of sounds, at the end of Episode 6 of “Bluebirds & Dead Canaries,” I had planned to use a song called “You Took Advantage of Me” (by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers) as the creepy closing tune of the story. I’ve included some of the lyrics below:
.
I’m a sentimental sap, that’s all.
What’s the use of trying not to fall?
I have no will,
You’ve made your kill
‘Cause you took advantage of me!
.
I’m just like an apple on a bough
And you’re gonna shake me down somehow.
So what’s the use,
You’ve cooked my goose
‘Cause you took advantage of me!
.
I’m so hot and bothered that I don’t know
My elbow from my ear.
I suffer something awful each time you go,
And much worse when you’re near.
.
Here am I with all my bridges burned,
Just a babe in arms where you’re concerned,
So lock the doors
And call me yours
‘Cause you took advantage of me.
—Lyrics by Lorenz Hart (from “Present Arms” 1928)
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Quite appropriate given the story’s subject matter…
Alas, the music house that owns the tune—apparently thinking I couldn’t do math—tried to shyster me into paying several thousand dollars for a small excerpt of an ancient 1928 recording of this song—something which could have easily ended up costing me around $40,000 or more just for using one 60-second clip of one song. Yeah, right… 
Talk about “taking advantage” of people (especially when it’s just a guy & his laptop computer — my whole production staff!). How terribly, terribly fitting… So, instead of shelling out an untold blasphemy in bucks, I decided to include the song’s lyrics in this blog post (woo-hoo! still free), or hey, go listen to the recording yourself at http://www.archive.org/details/PaulWhiteman-450-460 (again, all free). Nice how that works out.
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MM
The Theater of the Midnight Sun
www.theaterofthemidnightsun.com
9 Comments
Can we expect more podcasts???
Hello, Martin.
Thanks for writing!
In regards to your question… It depends. If the podcasts manage to gain a wider audience, then I’ll definitely create a 2nd season of stories. I say this because each episode takes about 4 to 6 weeks to create, meaning a lot of time and energy is poured into them (when I’d love to be writing instead).
So the best way to help accomplish this is for people (like yourself, if you’d like) to spread the word about TOTMS to all their friends and family, let scifi news shows like “Slice of Scifi” know you like it, and so on. The more people who know about the show, and the more buzz created, the more likely there’ll be a 2nd or even 3rd season of stories.
In the meantime, I’m working on my other podcast series, “The Great Big Bungalow,” which showcases travel stories from my trips overseas. I’ll be posting more tales to that site shortly, and it will hopefully appear on iTunes either this week or next. That site should have close to 2 dozen stories on it once I’m finished, though the productions won’t be nearly as complex as those on TOTMS.
All the best,
Michael
Hey, Just wanted to say I love your choice of stories and the whole production. It is really well done. Hoping to see more stories in the feed!
Thanks!
Thank you very much! I’m glad you like them.
I’d love to do more episodes in the future, but it all depends on how much interest I can drum up in the programs. Right now I’m just trying to spread the word about the show, so please tell your friends and family about it, and let any sci-fi/fantasy sites you happen to visit know about the show (e.g., “Slice of Sci-fi”). The more people who hear about it, the better.
In the meantime, I’ve begun posting a series of travel story podcasts to my site “The Great Big Bungalow,” which showcases travel tales about elephants and Geishas and so on.
All the best!
Michael
I just wanted to throw in my two cents to say that I love your stories and that I too hope that you’ll be able to do more of them. In order to help with that (admittedly in a rather small way), I posted a review of the podcast in iTunes immediately before I posted this. I’m staying subscribed to TOTMS in a rare moment of eternal optimism.
Thanks for all of your hard work on this.
Lisa
You’re welcome, Lisa. And thank you very much for your kind words and your post to iTunes. I truly appreciate it. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, if I can build up enough of an audience, I will create more TOTMS episodes. I have enough stories and material for at least an additional 2, 3, or even 4 seasons worth of shows (in fact I have season 2 already mapped out), but again it depends on the show’s popularity and the number of listeners. In the meantime, I’m working on my travel story podcasts for “The Great Big Bungalow” (sort of like “This American Life,” but done with travel), which can be found on iTunes and at http://www.greatbigbungalow.com if you’re interested.
Take care,
Michael
I just finished listing to all of your stories and had a great time! I really enjoyed them all and wish there were more. I loved the voice actors you picked and the sounds effects. The podcasts feel very high quality. Thanks for making my drive home a lot more fun. Please make more!!!!
My teenage kids and I have had a blast listening to Theater of the Midnight Sun stories on our half-hour commute to school. Both kids are difficult to please, as they have a lot of book and science smarts and are quick to point out inaccuracies of any sort. They ADORE TOTMS and so do I. (No complaints about inaccuracies here!) They want more. So do I. We’ll spread the word and check back often.
We love the stories. We love the voices. We love the music and immediately purchased “Phoenix” by Nijole Sparkis after hearing it on TOTMS. We love the sound effects. We love it all. Just wanted to let you know. Um. I’ll stop now.
P.S. If you haven’t done so already, please continue Nab’s story as a full book. He deserves it.