Pulp Today

- Season 2

(2020)

In an apocalyptic age, it seemed appropriate to read BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, one of the finest novelizations of all time, and possibly the most nihilist Hollywood blockbuster, too.

The subject is pulp non-fiction: the autobiography of Audie Murphy. Originally recorded in 2020, inspired by Trump's refusal to visit a military cemetery for fear of a light drizzle. Content Warning: fairly graphic descriptions of combat.

David Avallone and guest Andrew Pepoy -- an amazing cartoonist and comics creator -- talk about the classic pulp character - THE SPIDER.

It's the thrill of a lifetime. David Avallone discusses his favorite childhood movie, novelizations, paperbacks that fall apart in your hand, complicated copyrights, and enthusiasm for a life in show business.

Late 2020 was a dark time - like some other dark times. Allegory is a beautiful thing. Sometimes it can be chilling. There's no way Edgar Allan Poe could have predicted President Prospero, yet the parallels are there if you listen.

The end of the world, brought to you by Richard Matheson, author of half your favorite Twilight Zone episodes, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and the timeless (or timely) Apocalyptic classic: I Am Legend.

A Pulp Today first - David Avallone reads some of his own writing, from his very first professional gig in 1989: writing Star Wars stories for the Role Playing Game.

Are you one of the Frightened? Here's the first of three readings from Michael Avallone's Tales of the Frightened stories.

Are you one of the Frightened? The second of three readings from Michael Avallone's Tales of the Frightened collection. David also takes a cheap shot at Peter Bogdanovich, who -- let's face it -- had it coming.

Are you one of the Frightened? The third and final episode of the little TALES OF THE FRIGHTENED mini-series, presents one of the more surreal stories from the collection.

The defeat of Trump, in November of 2020, inspired the choice to talk about the fall of a cartoonish super villain as our first reading from Ian Fleming's 007 novels. Now and forever - welcome to Hell, Blofeld.

November of 2020 seemed like a good time to drink a whiskey, smoke a celebratory cigar, and read something from Ev Ehrlich's comic pastiche of Ulysses Grant's Memoirs, GRANT SPEAKS. Straight talk from the man who saved the Union.

Actress Mageina Tovah joins host David Avallone to read from, and talk about a book that meant a lot to both of them growing up: Ray Bradbury's dystopian classic FAHRENHEIT 451.

January of 2021 in America got me thinking about the opening pages of A TALE OF TWO CITIES, and the challenge of living through historic times. Here's a few pages of Charles Dickens to chew on.

Some thoughts on a vivid type of American speech, as expressed and maybe partly invented by Damon Runyon, and how it still echoes today. Plus a few words about the joys of writing in the specific language of a time and place.

So it's 1978 and you're a teen and you've seen STAR WARS 10 times and there's no home video or streaming yet, and you're hungry for more space opera. Where can you get it? Back to the source: E.E. "Doc" Smith and the LENSMEN series.

You're looking at a video. 16 minutes? Perhaps you could watch. Is the chair comfortable? That's key, if you're going to settle in for a reading of Italo Calvino's metafictional hijinks and IF ON A WINTER'S NIGHT A TRAVELER.

A special episode to commemorate reaching the cosmically significant Number 42: the brilliant and talented Susy Kane joins David Avallone to read THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, by the late, beloved Douglas Adams.

Nerdist's own Hector Navarro joins David Avallone to talk John Carter, Tars Tarkas, "planetary romance," a solid movie sabotaged by its studio - and eventually they get around to reading from A PRINCESS OF MARS, by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

You know the Hitchcock movie, you may even know the sequels, the cable series, or the Gus Van Sant weirdness - but have you read the original? You should. Let's talk about why.

Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel about how maybe it doesn't matter who you are inside, if your outside is too convincing.

H.G. Wells wonders aloud what it would be like to be on the short end of the big stick, in the apocalyptic classic often imitated but never surpassed.

Setting aside the weighty issue "is Die Hard a Christmas story?" we ask the more interesting question, "is Dashiell Hammett's The Gutting of Couffignal a Die Hard story?" Also: the most hard-boiled final line in all of pulp fiction.

A dive into autobiographical science fiction, from the master of broken realities, Philip K. Dick.