Episode 14: On Tarkovsky's 'Stalker' - Part One

Episode 14: On Tarkovsky's 'Stalker' - Part One

Author: SpectreVision Radio May 16, 2018 Duration: 41:33
Journey into the Zone to uncover some of the strange artifacts buried in Tarkovsky's cinematic masterpiece, Stalker (1979). In this first of a two-part conversation, Phil and JF discuss a poem by Tarkovsky's dad, compare the film with the sci-fi novel that inspired it, explore the ideological underpinnings of formulaic genre, delve into the meaning and affordances of the concept of zone, and affirm that in a sufficiently weird mindset, even a casual stroll in your hometown can become an excursion into a Zone of your own. REFERENCES Andrei Tarkovsky (dir.), Stalker Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Roadside Picnic The Wachowskis (dir.), The Matrix James Cameron (dir.), Avatar Second City Television (SCTV), vintage Canadian comedy show Alex Garland (dir.), Annihilation (based on the novel by Jeff Vandermeer; here's an article on how Garland's film differs from Vandermeer's arguably weirder text) SCTV, Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: Whispers of the Wolf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the heart of Weird Studies, a podcast from SpectreVision Radio, you’ll find long-form conversations between Professor Phil Ford and writer J. F. Martel. Their discussions aren’t simple reviews or straightforward analyses; instead, they wander through the tangled undergrowth where art and philosophy meet, giving generous time to concepts that resist easy understanding and to creative works that fracture our ordinary sense of the world. This podcast deliberately lingers in that ambiguous space, treating the “weird” not as a genre but as a particular mode of experience-one that reveals the cracks in what we comfortably assume is real. Each episode feels like joining a deep, meandering dialogue between two friends who are both deeply knowledgeable and endlessly curious, covering a vast terrain that includes literature, film, music, and esoteric thought. It’s a show for anyone who suspects that the most profound truths are often found in the shadows, the anomalies, and the strangely beautiful. As part of the SpectreVision Radio network, which specializes in content that explores the uncanny edges of creativity, Weird Studies builds a unique community of listeners who are eager to think differently. You won’t find pat answers here, but you will encounter compelling questions and a shared sense of exploration that makes each installment a distinctive journey.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 230

Weird Studies
Podcast Episodes
Episode 94: All is Mysterious: On the Moon Card in the Tarot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:19
"Here is a weird, deceptive life." Thus does Aleister Crowley describe the meaning of one of the most sinister and spectral cards in the tarot. In this episode, Phil and JF continue their ongoing series on the twenty-two…
Episode 92: Glitch in the Matrix: A Conversation with Rodney Ascher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27:56
With his latest film, a meditation on what it means to believe we live in a computer simulation, Rodney Ascher has once again placed himself among the most innovative and visionary filmmakers working in the documentary f…
Episode 91: On Susanna Clarke's 'Piranesi' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:32
In this episode, Phil and JF explore the vast palatial halls of Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi. Set in an otherworld consisting of endless galleries filled with enigmatic statues, Piranesi is the story of a man who live…
Holiday Bonus: Magic, Madness, and Sadness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:52
Weird Studies will launch its fourth season on January 6th, 2021. But to celebtrate the end of very strange year, we thought we'd release a conversation which until now was available only to our top-tier Patreon backers.…
Episode 88: On Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean's 'Mr Punch' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:20:31
Before Coraline, before American Gods, in the early days of the Sandman series, Neil Gaiman collaborated with Dave McKean on some truly groundbreaking graphic novels: Violent Cases (1987), Signal to Noise (1989), and the…