We’re back and we’re punting across the Lake of Hali, taking in the sights. Well, we’re trying to… All these cloud waves spoil the view somewhat. Then again, from what we’ve seen of Carcosa, maybe it’s better that way.
Main Topic: The King in Yellow part 2
This is the continuation of last episode’s discussion of The King in Yellow. Now that we’ve looked at the book, its author and the inspirations behind it, we’re ready to dig in deeper. In particular, we’re picking out the elements that make up the so-called Carcosa Mythos. As we discover, there is very little substance behind these names, which may be part of why they have proved so attractive to gamers. We shall revisit these elements in episode 157, where we explore, in detail, how we might use them in our games.
In passing, we mention the death mask that formed the basis for Resusci Anne. Scott wrote a short piece about this for the old Unknown Armies website.
News
Tear Them Apart
Evan Dorkin and Paul Yellovich have started a podcast. Tear Them Apart is all about horror films. It mixes enthusiastic fandom, an artist’s eye and a deep understanding of the mechanics of cinema into an eclectic and funny discussion of the genre. There are only two episodes so far. The first is an introduction, with some background about the hosts’ lifelong love of horror. The second kicks off a short series on giallo, as well as introducing a new segment in which Paul and Evan discuss films they’ve watched recently. Highly recommended!
James and Lloyd Read Indie RPG Blurbs So You Don’t Have To
And speaking of new podcasts… Good friend of the Good Friends James Mullen has teamed up Lloyd Gyan, the unstoppable force of the UK gaming community, to talk about indie RPGs. James and Lloyd Read Indie RPG Blurbs So You Don’t Have To does exactly what the name claims. With over 50 new indie RPGs released every month, it’s hard to know what’s worth your time. Lloyd and James sift through the blurbs, find some worth exploring in more depth, and offer you the benefit of their experience. Informative and fun.
Other Stuff
Songs
Cassilda’s song is enigmatic, hinting at horrors and wonders beyond human comprehension. Our songs, however, are simply incomprehensible. There are two new examples in this episode, offered to thank new Patreon backers. The songs of the Hyades they ain’t…
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Talking of songs: Stars Align by Belly. Not very Lovecraftian, ultimately, other than in its title, but lovely all the same: https://open.spotify.com/track/1barV2UKmbYyXYdd3QtEBo
Another great episode!
When you come to speaking of how other media has embraced elements of the Carcosa Mythos then it may be worth mentioning that there’s a 1998 Current 93 album called Soft Black Stars (which was re-released in 2005). As well as the obvious link in the album title it’s quite an eerie piece of work all round. Songs with titles like ‘The Signs In The Stars,’ ‘Chewing On Shadows,’ and ‘Whilst The Night Rejoices Profound And Still.’ I’m not sure if David Tibet has ever mentioned if there is any direct link between their work and Chambers’ but the imagery evoked in this particular album of theirs seems to have a lot of parallels but that might be just me making connections where there are none.
I imagine tracing the influence Chambers work has had, not just upon the genre of weird fiction but horror as a whole, must be very hard to unpick. With some of his concepts being quite undefined and yet so compelling, its easy to begin to see the imagery he used referenced in all kinds of things and it must be very hard to establish any true lineage. But then making strict sense of things isn’t really what the Carcosa Mythos is about either, which I think is part of its appeal.
A review of Soft Black Stars:
http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=2437