This Gun in My Hand

Saturday, February 11, 2023

Fly Away Home - Episode 74

A man in shadow, seen from behind, wearing a brown fedora and trench coat, a pistol in his right hand, faces a giant ant the size of a pickup. Taken from comic books.

Lost keys, lost worlds, a zeppelin flight to the ant moon. Has Falk lost all sense of scale? Listen to find out!

Fly Away Home, episode 74 of This Gun in My Hand, was written by Rob Northrup, not by a ladybug. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. Who wrote this episode? This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:
1. Inspired by Melinda’s stories about Flicka the Ladybug, Dolores the Hamquatch, Marthra the Moth, and a cast of thousands.

2. Falk says, “Someone clouded my mind. If I ever get back to my right mind, I’ll give Lamont an earful.” He’s talking about Lamont Cranford, known as The Shade, able to cloud men’s minds by asking, “What object were you looking for when you stepped into this room?” Listen to Episode 12, “Made in The Shade.”

Credits:
The opening and middle transitional music clips were from The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), and the closing music was from Killer Bait (1949), both films in the public domain. Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.

Sound Effect Title: Park ambience - mostly birds
License: public domain
https://freesound.org/people/Mafon2/sounds/274175/#

Sound Effect Title: Mount Moganshan Insect Chorus
By: RTB45
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
https://freesound.org/people/RTB45/sounds/325321/
Insect chorus recorded one summer evening, Moganshan, Zhejiang Provence, People's Republic of China

Sound Effect Title: Dragonfly.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/antoineopeng/sounds/447319/

Music used in “Ladybug Republic Convention and Visitors Bureau” commercial is a modified version of “The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 - Sing While We Trip it Upon the Green (For Recorders - Papalin).”
Composed by Henry Purcell, 1692
Performed by Papalin
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
https://musopen.org/music/11140-the-fairy-queen-z629/

The image accompanying this episode is a combination of modified panels from National Comics, Number 55 (August 1946), pencils and inks by Andre LeBlanc; and Crime Detective Comics, Volume 3, Number 8 (May-June 1953), artist unknown. Both sources in public domain.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Escalating Pitch - Episode 73

What shameless criminal plans to disrupt the bake-off at the department store? Will Falk arrive in time, or will The Cherry Pachyderm get in the way with his endless pitches for Falk’s radio show? Listen to find out!

Escalating Pitch, episode 73 of This Gun in My Hand, was pitched and escalated by Rob Northrup. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. What’s the big idea? This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:
1. The ad was inspired by BBC costume dramas such as Middlemarch, Wives and Daughters, Cranford, Return to Cranford, Lark Rise to Candleford, The Paradise, North and South (by Mrs. Gaskell, not the US Civil War miniseries), Pride and Prejudice.

2. Latthew Morressier, aka “The Cherry Pachyderm,” first appeared in episode 24, “Consulting Defectives.”

3. Batman wore several versions of his costume in different rainbow colors in Detective Comics, Volume 1, Number 241 (March 1957). https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Detective_Comics_Vol_1_241

4. Flavia de Luce is an eleven year old girl in 1950s England who solves mysteries using her knowledge of chemistry and poisons, in a series of novels by Alan Bradley.

5. Opinions expressed by fictional characters do not represent those of Robert Thomas Northrup, especially what should go in chili.

Credits:
The opening and middle transitional music clips were from The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), and the closing music was from Killer Bait (1949), both films in the public domain. Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.

“British Drama” Song Title: The Fairy Queen, Z. 629
Composed by Henry Purcell, 1692.
Performed by Carl Pini, John Tunnell, Anthony Pini and Harold Lester.
License: Public Domain
https://musopen.org/music/11140-the-fairy-queen-z629/

Sound Effect Title: Escalator
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/carlopatrao/sounds/631545/

Sound Effect Title: bustle in the pub
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/organicmanpl/sounds/403285/

The image accompanying this episode is a modified detail of a photo titled “Berlin, Stadtbahnhof Alexanderplatz.” Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-C1114-0006-013 / Junge, Peter Heinz / CC-BY-SA 3.0. License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Germany.

Friday, January 20, 2023

Undeniable Narrator - Episode 72

Why is Billy narrating this episode instead of his dad? Can Falk protect his friend Bill Senior from the inflammatory accusations of the Narrators’ Committee? Is “narrativities” a real word? Listen to find out!

Undeniable Narrator, episode 72 of This Gun in My Hand, was fantasized by Rob Northrup. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. What cuts through the bureaucracy? This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:

1. “Narrativities” is a real word.

Credits:

The opening and middle transitional music clips were from The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), and the closing music was from Killer Bait (1949), both films in the public domain. Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.

Sound Effect Title: HARP GLISSANDO DOWN.WAV

License: Public Domain

https://freesound.org/people/olver/sounds/505064/

Sound effect title: bustle in the pub

License: Public Domain

https://freesound.org/people/organicmanpl/sounds/403285/

Sound effect title: Guests-at-party.wav

License: Public Domain

https://freesound.org/people/Mickael_Leroi/sounds/402131/

Sound Effect Title: gavel-double.flac

By zerolagtime (Sen. John Kerry recorded from C-Span)

License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

https://freesound.org/people/zerolagtime/sounds/70069/

The image accompanying this episode is a modified detail of a panel from the public domain comic book True Love Problems and Advice Illustrated, Volume 1, Number 25 (January 1954), artist unknown.

Thursday, January 12, 2023

The Ink-Stained Corpse - Episode 71

A corpse on a pier. Is the witness really the killer? Did the truth get under his skin? Listen to find out!

The Ink-Stained Corpse, episode 71 of This Gun in My Hand, was permanently drawn under your skin by Rob Northrup. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. What points me on the path to treasure? This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:
1. This episode was partially inspired by a trope used in the 2020 film Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears.
2. The script said “incalculable hero by virtue of the fact that he carries a gun,” but when I fumbled the word “incalculable” half a dozen times while recording, I changed it to “unpronounceable.”

Sound Effect Title: Seagulls / gaviotas clean wildtrack.WAV
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/Soojay/sounds/462462/

Sound Effect Title: Tweeting birds
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/Ravetracer/sounds/515081/

Sound Effect Title: Footsteps Dress Shoes Wood Floor.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/allrealsound/sounds/161756/

The image accompanying this episode is a modified panel from the public domain comic book Captain Silver’s Log of the Sea Hound, Number 3 (July 1949). Pencils and inks by Philip Santry.

Friday, December 23, 2022

Domestic Harmony - Episode 70

A glowing golden robot on an aqua blue background walks forward with its arms outstretched, menacing a dark haired young man. The man is firing a pistol at the robot. The robot captures the human in the reddish ray projected from its two eyes.

What’s that unbearable sound coming from the basement of Roberto and Jennifer Zapata, aka Wordsmith and The InforMatron? No, not the hum of their supercomputer. What’s that other sound? Will they survive? Listen to find out!

Domestic Harmony, episode 70 of This Gun in My Hand, was composed and arranged by Rob Northrup (just the words, not the music). This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. What sound will you harmonize with? This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:
1. The horse that Wordsmith bets on in this episode is named after the space ship “We Never Agreed To This” in The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi.

2. This is not a test of the emergency broadcast system. The background operational sound of the InforMatrix is a modified kalimba and the fungal ululation is produced by drawing through the 6th and 7th holes of a Hohner Hot Metal harmonica in the key of G, eventually shifting to just the 7th hole. Technically I don’t think they’re harmonizing, but at least they stop sounding dissonant.

3. Yes, there are annoying background sounds throughout the whole episode, added by design. Please don’t complain about my amateurish audio engineering until you hear the full episode for context. You will receive an instantaneous full refund whether or not you are satisfied, because your cost was zero shekels, zero dogecoin, zero shoplifted bottles of Tide (our preferred currency).

4. When I say this episode was “composed and arranged by Rob Northrup,” I mean it was written, edited, performed and all functions carried out by Rob Northrup unless otherwise noted. I don’t mean to take credit for the amazing “Bouncy Gypsy Beats” by John Bartmann, used as theme music for Wordsmith and The InforMatron, or the other music used in this episode.

Credits:
The opening music clip was from The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), a public domain film. Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.

Theme for the radio show “Information Wants to Be Free, But For You It’s Two Bits” and closing music this time:
Music Title: Bouncy Gypsy Beats
By John Bartmann
License: Public Domain
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/bouncy-gypsy-beats/

Sound Effect Title: polite_applause_08.wav
By joedeshon
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
https://freesound.org/people/joedeshon/sounds/119028/

Sound Effect Title: Sitcom Laughter 9x, Small Audience
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/Kinoton/sounds/383207/

Sound Effect Title: Footsteps Dress Shoes Wood Floor.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/allrealsound/sounds/161756/

Sound Effect Title: aww.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/phmiller42/sounds/124996/

Sound Effect Title: Dopey Beeps
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/venicesurf/sounds/209363/

Sound Effect Title: Computer Beeps 2
By LPHypeR
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
https://freesound.org/people/LPHypeR/sounds/564590/

Sound Effect Title: modem_dial.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/0ktober/sounds/188828/

Sound Effect Title: Rockfall in mine
By Benboncan
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
https://freesound.org/people/Benboncan/sounds/60085/

Sound Effect Title: Bricks/Stones/Rocks/Gravel Falling
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/iwanPlays/sounds/567249/

Sound Effect Title: Kitten Meowing.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/lolamadeus/sounds/196251/

The image accompanying this episode is a modified detail of the cover of Scientific Detective Monthly, Volume 1, Number 3 (March 1930) by Jno Ruger. Public domain. The entire issue is available to read at https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=39015

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Heck's Pantry for the Holidays - Episode 69

Comic book line art drawing. A frowning man with black hair and a thin mustache ducks to avoid a thrown meat cleaver which has embedded in the wall just above his head. The man is firing a pistol. He wears a gray suit, light colored shirt and red tie and has a large ring on his right hand holding the pistol. Beside him is a brunette woman with 1940s style hair. She wears a yellow-orange blouse with large burgundy buttons. Two gnarly hands reach to grab her head. To the left of all this are the numbers "10¢" in a circle.

How will Petra’s plan for a romantic holiday be ruined by a meet cute? Why is her uncle afraid she’ll kill him? Listen to find out!

Heck's Pantry for the Holidays, episode 69 of This Gun in My Hand, was romanticized by Rob Northrup. This episode and all others are available on Youtube with automatically-generated closed captions of dialog. Visit http://ThisGuninMyHand.blogspot.com for credits, show notes, information on how to subscribe, and to buy my books, such as Little Heist in the Big Woods and Other Revisionist Atrocities. If you’re still in the mood for holiday pulp adventure, listen to episode 44, “Here Comes Satanic Claws.” What time is it? [Gun shot.] This Gun in My Hand!

Show Notes:
1. Do you realize how much research I put into this show? While looking up Polish dishes for the St. Wladislaw’s Ladies’ Auxiliary fundraiser cookbook, I found a recipe for Bigos (Polish Hunter’s Stew) and cooked it, really in real life.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/polish_hunters_stew/

2. Falk adds the letter “s” to pluralize “gołąbki,” not realizing the word is already plural. The word for one Polish cabbage roll is “gołąbek.” Uncle Verne and I felt it was too complicated to correct him during the show.

Credits:
The opening music clip was from The Sun Sets at Dawn (1950), and the closing music was from Killer Bait (1949), both films in the public domain. Most of the music and sound effects used in the episode are modified or incomplete versions of the originals.

Music Title: O Christmas Tree
By massi_1130
License: Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0
https://freesound.org/people/massi_1130/sounds/27706/

Music Title: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Composed by Leon Jessel, 1897
Performed by United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, Concert Band
License: Public Domain
https://www.music.af.mil/Multimedia/Music/Public-Domain-Music/

Sound Effect Title: Shop door bell.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/775noise/sounds/494565/

Sound Effect Title: Knife slice
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/NeoSpica/sounds/504610/

Sound Effect Title: Metallic Whoosh.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/MissCellany/sounds/240640/

Sound Effect Title: Swoosh.wav
By Brsjak
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
https://freesound.org/people/Brsjak/sounds/482880/

Sound Effect Title: fwunk.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/Reitanna/sounds/264149/

Sound Effect Title: Footsteps Dress Shoes Wood Floor.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/allrealsound/sounds/161756/

Sound Effect Title: Body Fall2.wav
License: Public Domain
https://freesound.org/people/deleted_user_2104797/sounds/325269/

Sound Effect Title: Porte open close.wav
By Slanesh
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
https://freesound.org/people/Slanesh/sounds/31768/

Sound Effect Title: Gun Fire
By GoodSoundForYou
License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
http://soundbible.com/1998-Gun-Fire.html

The image accompanying this episode is a modified detail of the front cover of Super-Mystery Comics, Vol. 6, Number 4 (February 1947), public domain, pencils and inks by Warren Kremer, colorist unknown.