A long time ago, in a California far far away [OK, that’s not working so well, but…] Anyway, In 1940, the famous science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein wrote a story about a time in the future when people stood on high-powered conveyor belts to get from place to place. This is a story about a more ecologically responsible form of transport, but Heinlein spices it up with a bit of terrorism, so he’s way ahead of the social curve on two counts. First published in John W. Campbell’s Astounding Science Fiction magazine, here is “The Roads Must Roll.” I might add this waas one of my favorite short stories to read when I was a lad. Please click on the arrow below to listen to the podcast.

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      In the year 2000, a deejay at WSCS Radio, a college radio station, Came on the air calling himself “The 2000Man.” Nobody really knew who he really was, outside a few staff and jocks. His two-hour long show was broadcast on Friday nights from 10 until 12. His show was unique because the guy was pretty out-there, like Max Headroom or The Firesign Theatre. It was also unique because he would play extended sets of one band anywhere between 20 and 40 minutes in length. In between songs, he did his “2000Man” thing, and nobody ever knew what it would be. One night a listener called in and screamed, “What are you DOING?” and hung up. Here is an abbreviated version [just under an hour] of his now-famous “Dark Valentine” show. We…

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OK, here’s the third and last enticement for you to listen to Jeffrey Price’s hysterically funny Audible novelmovie, “Improbable Fortunes.” Now, I just want you to consider that title. Improbable. Fortunes. Do you get a little twinge of Horatio Alger? Well, if you do, Price’s Horatio is young Buster McCaffrey, an archetypal orphan who seems like a sweet cowboy but who cuts quite a swath through the lives of the people of Vanadium, Colorado. I’ve nearly finished listening to the entire novel and can’t count the number of times I’ve LOL’d. I mean, really Laughed Out Loud. If you’re seeing this post for the first time, please go back and listen to Part One and Part Two. You’ll be glad you did. Please click on the arrow below to listen to the first excerpt from “Improbable Fortunes.”

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We continue with the second installment of the podcast of ‘Improbable Fortunes” by Jeffrey Price, read by Jonathan Davis. It’s from Price’s (first) novel of the same name and excerpted here from the Audible version. Note: on either of these Amazon links, a Kindle version and an MP3 download are also available. You might not recognize the name Jeffrey Price, but he’s the Hollywood scriptwriter of hit movies such as the screamingly hilariously snarky “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and “Shrek the Third.” The narrator may or may not be the Jonathan Davis of Korn. In any case, “Improbable Fortunes” is a ribald western movie leaking out around its edges: Owen Wilson as Buster McCaffrey, Margot Robbie as the unfaithful wife [and Buster’s lover] of Marvin Mallomar, the now-dead richest men in America,…

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