Bradbury 100 - Celebrating the Life and Work of American Writer Ray Bradbury

This is the audio from my 2024 livestreamed version of the podcast, which went out over Facebook and Youtube. If you want the full effect, you can find the VIDEO recording of the livestream on YouTube, at: https://youtube.com/live/SBGtfPQZYBw

23/08/2024 • 59:58

Ray Bradbury's first-ever book, DARK CARNIVAL (1947) has been re-published. For the first time, it is available in paperback and ebook editions. In this episode I go through the story behind Dark Carnival, and review the new editions. For more information, check out the show notes at https://bradburymedia.blogspot.com/2024/03/new-bradbury-100-episode-dark-carnival.html

14/03/2024 • 32:32

In my occasional series of "Chronological Bradbury" episodes, we reach the year 1942. This was Ray Bradbury's first full year as a professional writer, and the year he broke through to two of the leading science fiction and fantasy pulp magazines: Astounding Science Fiction, and Weird Tales. So it's an important year, although he only published two stories in that year. For full shownotes, visit my website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk

17/01/2024 • 19:06

For Christmas this year, I bring you a bumper double-length episode of Bradbury 100! Member of the "Science Fiction Book Club" Facebook group provided questions about Ray Bradbury for me to answer. So this whole episode is given over to my ponderings on some terrific questions. For more details, check the full show notes at www.bradburymedia.co.uk

22/12/2023 • 112:37

In this new episode of Bradbury 100, I explore FUTURIA FANTASIA - the fanzine that Ray Bradbury produced when he was a teenage science fiction fan. The first issue of Futuria Fantasia, published when Ray was eighteen years old, catches him just before he heads off to New York for the first-ever World Science Fiction Convention. In that first issue, he is very much focused on "Tecnhnocracy", a movement which promised to turn science fiction into political reality. For more information, check out the shownotes at www.bradburymedia.co.uk

08/12/2023 • 43:54

In my occasional series of "Chronological Bradbury" episodes, we reach the year 1941. Ray Bradbury makes his first professional sale, appearing in pulp science fiction magazine SUPER SCIENCE STORIES! For full shownotes, visit my website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk

24/11/2023 • 28:01

In this episode I review three new Bradbury products that have come my way - two blurays, and one book. For full show notes, check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

10/11/2023 • 26:32

Welcome to the FIFTIETH episode of Bradbury 100! This is another episode in my "Chronological Bradbury" strand - where I go through Ray Bradbury's publishing history in order. We've reached the year 1940, when Ray turned 20. It's a year which sees him getting no fewer than nine pieces of fiction published in amateur magazines. He's still a year away from his first professional sale (which will come in 1941), but 1940 shows him rapidly developing his plotting, characterisation, and use of language.

28/10/2023 • 55:18

This time on Bradbury 100 I talk about The New Ray Bradbury Review, the online journal I edit on behalf of the Ray Bradbury Center. Specifically, I talk about the origins of the journal - which stretch way back to 1952, and William F. Nolan's original fan publication, called simply "Ray Bradbury Review". I also pay tribute to Nolan as the first person to really study Ray's work, and I discuss his ongoing engagement with Ray as both a friend and a colleague. For the full shownotes, head to my website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk

15/10/2023 • 39:22

This is another episode in my "Chronological Bradbury" strand - where I go through Ray Bradbury's publishing history in order. We've reached the year 1939, when Ray turned 19. It's a year which sees him strengthening his ties with the science fiction fan community... and getting no fewer than five pieces of fiction published in amateur magazines. He's still two years ago from his first professional sale (which will come in 1941), but his jokey science fiction vignettes are beginning to evolve into proper stories. For more information, and links to some of the stories, check out the show notes at https://bradburymedia.blogspot.com/2023/10/new-bradbury-100-podcast-episode.html

02/10/2023 • 26:36

22 August 2023 would have been Ray Bradbury's 103rd birthday, so in time-honored tradition (a tradition going back a whole three years...) I did a livestreamed version of the podcast via Facebook. Here's the audio from that livestream, very slightly edited. I think most of the references to visual things will make sense from context, but if you're curious about what was onscreen while I was talking, you can always check out the full video recording over on my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/uNiqsN-amMA

24/08/2023 • 37:57

In this episode, I begin a new strand: Chronological Bradbury! In this strand, I'll be going through Bradbury's publishing history in order. Sometimes I'll cover multiple stories (as with this episode), and sometimes I'll focus on a single story - depending on the significance of the story. So we begin here, with the year 1938. This is where the seventeen-year-old Bradbury gets a piece of fiction in print for the very first time: "Hollerbochen's Dilemma".

01/06/2023 • 22:24

Last time on Bradbury 100, we looked at the origin of Ray Bradbury's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, and its peculiar history as a film script that became a book, and then became a film script again. This time, I continue the story, examining how the film - disastrously previewed in 1982 - was rescued through some re-writing, re-shooting and re-editing. Ray claimed that he "directed" or "edited" the film doing this re-make period, rescuing it from the clutches of director Jack Clayton. But is this really true? Join me as I dig into the archives, and look for evidence of what REALLY went on.

18/05/2023 • 41:56

It's forty years since the film version of SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES was released! So in this episode, I take a detailed look at the origins of SWTWC, going all the way back to the short story "The Black Ferris" (1948) and working through to the shooting of the film. Bradbury wrote the screenplay, and the film was directed by his good friend Jack Clayton (director of Room at the Top (1959) and The Innocents (1961). So everything must have worked out really well...

05/05/2023 • 34:34

In a file in the Ray Bradbury archive, we find his proposed book projects for the years 1960-1962. While some of the titles are familiar, some of them just never came to be. Find out about these Bradbury plans in this episode! One of the proposed books was an anthology to be edited by Ray. I'll give you the full list of contents on my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

06/03/2023 • 23:38

In February 2023, I gave a public talk on FAHRENHEIT 451 for Wolverhampton Literature Festival. This podcast episode is a version of that talk - minus all the visual bits and pieces, of course. (If you want to see the visuals, head over to my Youtube Channel, BRADBURY 101!)

14/02/2023 • 60:50

In a 1947 issue of Planet Stories magazine, Ray Bradbury penned a humorous writer bio of himself, in which he claims that all his stories are written for him by a posse of talented professionals including Robert Heinlein. That magazine slipped into the public domain in 1975, because the copyright wasn't renewed (following the 28-year-renewal rules in operation at that time). So, I'm bringing you the full article today! For more on Bradbury, and for show notes - including a link to the 1947 Planet Stories issue - remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

26/01/2023 • 20:29

What better way to melt away the winter blues than with Ray Bradbury's ROCKET SUMMER? But this episode of the podcast isn't about the familiar opening chapter of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. No, here I'm looking at Bradbury's FIRST use of the title "Rocket Summer". It's a rare 1947 short story, published just once in PLANET STORIES, and never again reprinted. You won't find it in any of Ray's books. It also has the odd status of being in the public domain, thanks to an oversight: it should have had its copyright renewed in 1975 (following the 28-year-renewal system in use at that time). But the renewal didn't happen. Because it's public domain, I can here present the entire story to you (if you can tolerate my storytelling voice...). For more on Bradbury, and for show notes - including a link to the original 1947 Planet Stories issue - remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

12/01/2023 • 42:30

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. In this episode I discuss Ray Bradbury's Christmas-themed stories - all two of them - and some lesser known Christmas things he wrote for film and TV. "The Gift" and "The Wish" are the stories, and the screen work includes a STEVE CANYON episode, and an unlikely sequel to THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL! For more on Bradbury, and for show notes, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

21/12/2022 • 17:29

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. In this episode I discuss Ray Bradbury's stories as adapted by EC Comics, and review the new collection of these comic strips, HOME TO STAY. For more on Bradbury, and for show notes, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

23/11/2022 • 24:40

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. In this episode I discuss Ray Bradbury's dinosaur stories (A Sound of Thunder, The Fog Horn and more), and the book which collects them together: Dinosaur Tales. For more on Bradbury, and for show notes, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

11/11/2022 • 24:33

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. Ninety years ago this month, Ray Bradbury's uncle Lester Moberg was murdered. Ray was twelve years old at the time, and the murder coincided with his meeting of "Mr Electrico" and his family's leaving Waukegan. In this episode I tell the shocking true story of the unsolved murder, based on official inquest documents - and speculate on "whodunnit". For more on Bradbury, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

20/10/2022 • 46:46

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This episode looks at the most significant month in the Bradbury calendar: October! Ray published three books related to that month, ensuring that he will always be associated with spooky season. His short story The October Country collects his scariest stories; his novel Something Wicked This Way Comes shows what happens when a dark carnival comes to town; and his short novel The Halloween Tree explores the history and meaning of Halloween. For more on Bradbury, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

06/10/2022 • 25:01

With apologies for some variation in sound quality in this recording... Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This full-length episode looks at Ray's essay collection ZEN IN THE ART OF WRITING, and features an interview with Renee and Kim, co-hosts of writing advice podcast WORDS TO WRITE BY. Renee and Kim have worked through Ray's advice to writers, and give their verdict on it. Do Ray's writing tips actually help, and how does his advice compare to that of the various writing gurus? For more on Bradbury, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

23/09/2022 • 58:20

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This short episodes focuses on Ray's short story "The Exiles", also known as "The Mad Wizards of Mars". An unassuming little tale, it has clear echoes of both FAHRENHEIT 451 and THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. We look at the history and development of the story, which Ray re-wrote several times. For more on Bradbury, remember to check out my website, www.bradburymedia.co.uk

12/09/2022 • 14:38

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This episode features the audio from a live talk given on Ray's 102nd birthday, discussing the origins and development of Bradbury's 1957 novel DANDELION WINE and its sequel, FAREWELL SUMMER. If you'd like to see the video version, which has lots of illustrations to accompany the talk, head over to Youtube: https://youtu.be/5tDBMyYeyxs

29/08/2022 • 44:37

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This short episode is an update, and something of a trailer for coming attractions. With Ray's 102nd birthday almost upon us, I bring news of a new LIVE episode of the podcast, and of some future episodes.

15/08/2022 • 07:18

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This episode looks at Ray Bradbury's OTHER Martian stories, stories about Mars and Martians which are NOT included in his THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. I review each of the un-chronicled martian tales, and figure out where they fit into the mythos of The Martian Chronicles. Be ready for some surprises!

20/01/2022 • 41:07

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This episode looks at Ray Bradbury's writing style. What does he have in common with other authors, and how does he differ from them?

06/01/2022 • 23:08

Bradbury 100 - celebrating the life and work of American writer Ray Bradbury, presented by Phil Nichols of Bradburymedia.co.uk. This episode looks at some of the greatest movies NEVER made, as Phil discusses Ray Bradbury's unfilmed screenplays for THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES. If you thought Rock Hudson was the first and last word on the CHRONICLES on screen, think again: from the 1950s through to the 1990s, Ray Bradbury wrote a number of scripts for planned film versions of his classic science fiction book. Unfortunately, none of these came to fruition...

23/12/2021 • 25:58