The “M.C.” before my name is now official:

I am going to be Master of Ceremonies for the Coppercon 26 Masquerade! I guess I’ll have to rise slighlty above Deadpan timbre for the task. So if you’re not going to Dragon Con, then come to Coppercon! Make a costume, enter the Masquerade, and have some fun. First weekend in September.

Remember when .mp3 players were for music AND podcasts?

Here my Top 25 Most Played songs in iTunes for June 6, 2006:

1. Vanity Fair ~~Mr. Bungle 43
2. Is There Love In Space? ~~Joe Satriani 35
3. Wine ~~Jack Mangan 29
4. Organ Donor ~~DJ Shadow 27
5. Dad and Dog ~~Fredo Viola 25 (Great stuff. Go have a look and a listen)
6. Saddam A Go-Go ~~GWAR 25
7. Did My Time ~~KoRn 25
8. playing with spiders-skullkrusher ~~Overkill 24
9. Slaughter of the Soul ~~At the Gates 23
10. Miss Misery ~~Elliott Smith 22
11. Rumble ~~Link Wray & His Ray Men 22
12. Spirit Man ~~Mango 22
13. Defender ~~Manowar 21
14. Asteroid Speed Highway ~~Matt Mango 21
15. Lost In Space ~~Aimee Mann 20
16. The Enemy ~~Anthrax 20
17. Microphone Fiend ~~Eric B & Rakim 20
18. Tears of Liquid Mercury ~~Jack Mangan 20
19. Nuthin But a G Thang ~~Dr. Dre 19
20. Hallowed Be Thy Name ~~Iron Maiden 19
21. Solfeggietto ~~CPE Bach ~~Leslie Bridges 19
22. Time Is Running Out ~~Muse 19
23. Red Right Hand ~~Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds 19
24. West End Girls ~~Pet Shop Boys 19
25. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ~~Roberta Flack 19

The files are not modified, but I’ve updated their posts here with the in-browser player. Now you can go back and listen to the Tee Morris interview in episode #3, the Mike J. Nelson interview in #2, and/or the podcast mess brilliance that was the first episode.

— I should also point out that those download numbers don’t reflect all kinds of downloads, and also, only reflect web-downloads as of the date we installed that plugin (one day last week).

Holy Fire! Mystic Ninjas! Mason Rockets! I didn’t realize they were going to post the episode that quickly.When you’re done listening to Deadpan Episode 8 (see below), head on over to the Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas site to download KAMN #13. I made a guest appearance to butt in on their discussion of Bruce Sterling’s postmodern post-cyberpunk novel, “Holy Fire”. The podcast was actually released on Tuesday; I was just a bit too slow to catch it until today. Of course, it will help to have read the book first — but the Ninjas’ extra content is always good.

So the day is drawing closer. The Spherical Tomi chapbook is at the printer. The e-book and the podiobook will still be available — but you’ll soon also have access to the dead-tree-and-ink version!
I don’t have a release date yet, but we’re closing in fast. Stay tuned for more info as it develops…. Best guesstimate: first week of June.

Hey y’all. (OMG, I grew up in NJ and I just typed “y’all”) So, since I started this podcast to make a few extra bucks and to promote my writing, let’s set that kind of thing in motion.

I want to talk a bit about my short story, “Sixteen Pieces at a Time”, on a future show. Remember College English? If you’re a Deadpanite or Dragon Page/Wingin’ It! listener, then you’re literate and sophisticated (even if your sense of humor is in the gutter). Check out my short story at http://www.sfreader.com/contest-2005-3.asp . You hear the first 1/4 of the story during Deadpan Episode 007, brilliantly read by the Wander Radio players. Go back to your Eng 101 and 102 days. Delve deeply into it, search for the symbolism and meaning. You don’t have to write a paper, but give me your deep or interesting thoughts on the story. Let me know what you think. Send your thoughts via Voicemail or E-mail. Dissenting opinions and criticisms are certainly welcome.

Note: This is not an attempt at ego-stroking. But hey, it’s my show – in the name of promoting my stuff :). KAMN already do a wonderful job of intelligent analysis of others’ works. I want to raise the Deadpan bar a bit and prove that there’s intelligence behind our depravity. (Yes that includes you, Alvie — the twisted, clever mind behind “Bedknobs and Boomsticks”). I plan to touch on my other writings in the future as well, including Spherical Tomi.

What do you think, sirs? Are we up for this? Bring it on. 206-350-TOMI. jack aaaaaaaaaaat jackmangan dottttttttttt com.

–addendum—

And by the way — I’m *NOT* fishing for praise….

Just – if you see anything deeper in the text, then go for it. Talk about it.  Not everyone enjoyed their college English Lit courses; I did. That’s the kind of discussion I’m going for. Those classes rarely got into “thumbs up”/”thumbs down” discussions, but were more about the elements contained in the selected texts.

Of course — critical thoughts on the story’s strengths and flaws are also perfectly ok.

So Bobby (or was it Greg? Marsha?) recently shattered my focus into a million pieces, and all of the bunch have put a lot of effort into covering up for him. The laughtrack loved it, but really — it’s time to sweep up the pieces and glue things back together. Here’s the plan:

`Finish writing 3rd Dirk Moonfire novella.
`Edit Dirk Moonfire Podiobook for release.
`Finish Spherical Tomi 2.
`Maintain weekly Deadpan Output.
`Remove tarp from self-promotion machine. I need to start branching out and selling myself and my writing again. The Dragon Page/Deadpan audience is the best fanbase in the world, but I need to start expanding, connecting with others.
`Maintain Focus — with less yodeling (OK, who got that?).

Hey folks, if you want to contribute a short Dumbass Memory, Highbrow/Lowbrow, Unrelated Thoguht, Stolen Rap/Hip-Hop Lyric, other funny thing to the Deadpan Podcast Episode 007, then time is running out! I have already begun construction. The final edit will happen sometime late Tuesday evening (I hope). I have lots of content already – but – you’re always welcome to submit more. And hey — the voicemail line is active now, so all you need is your telephone. Call and record your segment right there: 206-350-TOMI (206-350-8664).

Oh – and let’s make this a double-post….. The Devils were eliminated by the Hurricanes today…. There is certainly no joy in Mudville (or Swampville, I suppose, since we’re talking about New Jersey).