The Cromcast: A Weird Fiction Podcast

Season 23, Episode 06: Johnny Mnemonic 20.05.2026 1godz 37min

Johnny Mnemonic is a cyberpunk short story published in 1981 by William Gibson. Johnny Mnemonic is also a cyberpunk movie from 1995 starring Keanu Reeves and Dina Meyer, directed by Robert Longo with a screenplay by William Gibson. And this week, we talk about both Johnny Mnemonics! We are very technical boys. One Things Jon: The Parker novels by Donald E. Westlake Josh: The Blade Itself, by Joe Abercrombie Luke: Rambo - First Blood and Rambo - First Blood Part 2 Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Black' by Sevendust. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 23, Episode 05: Neuromancer part 4 25.04.2026 1godz 42min

Welcome back, Cromrades! This is it, the final run towards the end of Neuromancer. The hacking is upon us, in more ways than one. Will Case get out of this job alive? Will the world sustain the fusion of Wintermute and Neuromancer? Will Molly and Case fall in love and buy a farm, somewhere upstate? To find out, you'll have to join us, won't you? Plug in and turn off, and let the sweet sounds of our voices take you to a future not so far away. One Things Luke: Call of Cthulu, the RPG Josh: Chainmail, the tabletop game Jon: Catwoman of East End Omnibus Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: "Who's Ready for Tomorrow" by Ratboy & IBDY. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 23, Episode 04: Neuromancer Part 3 25.03.2026 1godz 30min

Welcome Cromrades to the 4th episode of the 23rd season wherein we discuss the 3rd part of William Gibson's 'Neuromancer!' Too many numbers in that first sentence to compute? Wintermute laughs at your numbers. One Things Joshua: Fallout, forever Fallout. Luke: A24 movies, specifically 'The Blackcoat's Daughter' and 'Midsommar!' Jonathan: The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: Sublime cover Tosh's 'Steppin' Razor.' Get Rastafarian, peeps. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 23, Episode 03: Neuromancer Part 2 02.03.2026 1godz 29min

Welcome back, Cromrades! This week, we take a look at the second section of Neuromancer, titled The Shopping Expedition. Time to gear up for a job - but what gear do we need? And what additions to the party are we making? How about a mind reading illusionist and a ghost within a phylactery? Sounds like a fantasy story, but when Gibson applies his signature cyberpunk style it adds another layer of cool to the story. Join us, won't you? One Things Jon: Dead Man's Wire, a film worth checking out. Josh: Fallout, a television show of exceptional quality. Luke: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a television show that exceeds expectations. Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: '(Can't You) Trip Like I Do' by Filter & The Crystal Method. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 23, Episode 02: Neuromancer Part 1 31.01.2026 1godz 33min

Greetings to all you console cowboys and razorgirls. Are you ready to join the hosts of The Cromcast and jack into cyberspace? Well then crack open that carton of beer and join us for the first installment in our three part exploration of William Gibson's "Neuromancer" One Things Luke: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Joshua: IT by Stephen King Jonathan: Rogues by Patrick Radden Kiefe Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'NightForce' by Powerglove Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 23 Episode 01: Burning Chrome 13.01.2026 1godz 29min

Welcome Cromrades to the first episode of our journey down the Neon Road with William Gibson. Before we hop into 'Neuromancer,' we'll first discuss the short story 'Burning Chrome' in the same-titled collection! Join us on the darkened oil-slick streets, won't you? One Things Joshua: Fleabag, on Amazon! Luke: The Last Invention, from Mills and Warner on The Longview! Jonathan: Geoff Johns' Green Lantern run! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 'Tyrant' theme by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Run the Jewels' by Run the Jewels. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Cromtober 2025 - Hauntings (The Spook House and Dreams in the Witch House) 29.10.2025 1godz 36min

Happy Cromtober, and Happy Halloween! This year, we decided to spend some time around the seasonal Cromtober fire ruminating on hauntings - haunted places, haunted houses, haunted people... with Ambrose Bierce's The Spook House and HP Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch House as discussion fodder. It's a good one. Stay spooky, Cromrades!

Season 22 Episode 7: The Vaults of Yoh Vombis 19.10.2025 1godz 44min

Welcome Cromrades to the final episode of our Clark Ashton Smith journey. We've loved our time with the poet of Auburn, CA and we hope you are all finding more to read from him. We send him off with a creepy, twisted, parasitic episode focused on "The Vaults of Yoh Vombis". Join us in the shadows won't you...? Show Notes: Story http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/231/the-vaults-of-yoh-vombis Evaluation of CAS stories https://phuulishfellow.wordpress.com/2022/12/30/sifting-the-good-from-the-bad-a-quick-and-dirty-evaluation-of-clark-ashton-smith-stories/ One Things Joshua: Making impactful decisions in The Witcher 3 Luke: In the midst of a Nolan fest and finally watched The Prestige Jonathan: Finding inner peace with The Question Also... Did you know there's an upcoming CAS Conference in Auburn, CA, in Jan? Check it out! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Life on Mars' by David Bowie. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 6: The Dweller in the Gulf 24.09.2025 1godz 24min

Hile, Cromrades! We return with a new story, one from MARS! Herein we discuss 'The Dweller in the Gulf,' by none other than Clark Ashton Smith. You can access an open source version of the text here! Join us, won't you? One Things Jon: No Man's Sky, on a ton of gaming platforms! Josh: Salt and Sanctuary, on a ton of gaming platforms! Luke: Sinners, which is his fave movie of the year (so far)! Also... Did you know there's an upcoming CAS Conference in Auburn, CA, in Jan? Check it out! Grassroots pulp lit conventions, FTW!!!!!! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Debaser' by The Pixies. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 5: Mother of Toads 01.09.2025 1godz 18min

Welcome back, Cromrades! We hope you are eagerly anticipating this episode of the big show, where we discuss Clark Ashton Smith's Mother of Toads. One Things Jon: Tom Scioli's Stan Lee biography "I Am Stan". Josh: The D&D Adventure System board game, "Castle Ravenloft". Luke: Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields by Charles Bowden. Check out the upcoming Clark Ashton Smith Conference in Auburn, CA January 10, 2026! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Bang Bang' by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nikki Minaj. (This is all Josh's fault.) Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 4 The Colossus of Ylourgne 10.08.2025 1godz 28min

Behold listeners! A colossal Cromcast episode, stuffed with meat and bones and ready for your earholes. Join the crew as they dissect the Clark Ashton Smith tale, "The Colossus of Ylourgne". This tale of revenge and woe is our first foray into Smith's version of France known as Averoigne. Read it here if you dare: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/27/the-colossus-of-ylourgne One Things Luke: "The Last of Us" on HBO Josh: "LOST" a classic from the aughts Jon: "The Old Man & the Gun" starring Robert Redford. Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Giants Fall' by Miracle of Sound, from the game The Shadow of the Colossus. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 3: The Dark Eidolon 19.07.2025 1godz 31min

Hile, Cromrades! We return with another yarn from Zothique by one Clark Ashton Smith. You can access an open source version of the text here! Join us, won't you? One Things Jon: John Gwynne's 'The Shadow of the Gods'! Josh: 'Grotten,' by Sunzenaut! Luke: The Smith Circle, a CAS Conference coming 10 Jan 2026! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: 'Wings Wetted Down' by THE Blue Oyster Cult. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 2: The Isle of the Torturers 23.06.2025 1godz 20min

Hello there, Cromrades! We hope you are hale, healthy, and well rested! Pray, won't you join us on holiday? We are planning a visit to the island of One Things Jon: Mike Mignola - Drawing Monsters documentary Josh: Mini Mork Manual - a Mork Borg Solo Experience. Luke: Soundtracks for Reading - Remember the Future by Nektar, or maybe you'd be more interested in some cosmic banjo? Here is the March 1933 issue of Weird Tales, where The Isle of the Torturers was first published! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts! (or your podcast player of choice!) Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: Vicarious by Tool from their album 10,000 Days. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 22 Episode 1: Meet Clark Ashton Smith 09.05.2025 1godz 23min

The Cromcast is going down deep to its roots, but this time we're digging into the literature of Clark Ashton Smith. In this first episode of our 22nd season, we discuss the man and author himself and reveal our reading list. Tune in for weird tales fun!

Season 21 Episode 6: Dealer's Choice! 14.04.2025 1godz 36min

Welcome back, all! We're rounding out our 21st season with a series of Howardian film selections from the Cromrades: Jon - All the President's Men (1976) Luke - Ladyhawke (1985) Josh - Hidalgo (2004) Where do we go from here, you may ask? You'll have to listen 'til the end to find out!

The Cromcast - Season 21, Episode 05 - Million Dollar Baby and The Iron Claw 20.01.2025 2godz 6min

Welcome back, Cromrades! This week, we take on two combat sports movies that damage us right where it hurts - the emotions! We're talking Million Dollar Baby directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. Then, we enter the squared circle to face off against the Von Erich family in The Iron Claw, directed by Sean Durkin and starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, , Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, and Lily James. We're talking raw emotional damage, folks. Would Robert E. Howard have found something to like about this double feature? Let us know! One Things Jon: Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Counter Cultural Mr. Rogers by Michael Long Josh: On Boxing by Joyce Carol Oates Luke: Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins by Annie Jacobsen Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! Did you know that we're on Facebook?We're posting photos on the Instagrams!Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner!Or, check us out on iTunes!We're also on Stitcher Radio and Google Play! Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: Tom Sawyer by Rush! Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 21 Episode 4: His Revenant Journey ( The Last of the Mohicans and The Revenant)) 21.12.2024 1godz 51min

Hile, Cromrades! Join us brave the dark solstice of the year and welcome in Old Man Winter... Herein we discuss Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans (1992) alongside Alejandro Iñárritu's The Revenant (2015)! We hope you have stoked the fire, and have a few blankets at hand.

The Cromcast S21 E03: Valhalla Rising and The Green Knight 27.11.2024 1godz 51min

Oh greatest of podcast listeners, indulge us in this friendly holiday game. Let whichever of you is boldest of blood step forth, take up headphones and try with honor to consider new fantasy films. If you choose to engage, seek us out yonder to the Green Chapel six nights to the north. We will return your thoughts with our own, and then in trust and friendship, we shall part. Who, then, who is willing to watch "Valhalla Rising" and "The Green Knight" with us?

Season 21, Episode 2: Brotherhood of the Wolf and Black Death [Cromtober 2024] 09.11.2024 1godz 56min

Welcome back, Cromrades! We are currently experiencing some difficulty posting our episode in the normal way. Archive.org is where we generally host our files, and they have had some great difficulties with hackers recently. We are trying to decide what to do. But in the interim, here is our second episode of the Howardian Film Festival, which also doubles as our Cromtober 2024 episode. Edit 11/9/24: Here's the episode. One Things Jon: The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World Josh: Mörk Borg Luke: Mustard! Questions? Comments? Curses? Call us at (859) 429-CROM! You know you want to follow us on Twitter! Did you know that we're on Facebook? Spool together a good time with us on Threads! We're posting photos on the Instagram! Subscribe to our feed on FeedBurner! Or, check us out on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify! Legal Mumbo-Jumbo Our episode is freely available on archive.org and is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Themes by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Outro: "Faith" by Ghost. Music obtained legally; we hope our discussion of this content makes you want to go out and purchase the work!

Season 21 Episode 1: The Wind and the Lion and the Eagle! 08.10.2024 1godz 21min

Hile, Cromrades! Join us as we embark on our 21st Season... A Howardian Film Festival! For our first episode, we start out with some 'historical' films... Specifically, we discuss 1975's The Wind and the Lion, directed by John Milius and starring a cavalcade of familiar faces that includes Sean Connery! After that, we discuss 2011's The Eagle, directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring