Listen Now

In which the main themes that have emerged over the course of this podcast series are drawn out and something is said of what life in the preternatural realm involves. Music by Sharron Kraus, with James Street, Neal Heppleston, Nick Jonah Davis, Oliver Parfitt and Harriet Earis. REFERENCES Richard Dawkins, The Magic of Reality: How we know what’s really trueLorraine Daston & Katharine Park, Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150-1750 Thomas Nagel, The View From Nowhere Roger Lancelyn Green, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table

In which the idea of wildness and the relationship between the human and the wild are explored. Some problematic approaches to wildness are flagged up and a path to the heart of the wildwood is traced. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Simon Lewis, Harriet Earis, Mark Wilden, Gillian Chadwick, Nick Jonah Davis, Oliver Parfitt, Jenny Bliss and Dean Honer REFERENCES George Monbiot, Feral: Searching for Enchantment on the Frontiers of Rewilding Mary Midgley, The Myths We Live By William Cronon, The Trouble with Wilderness: Or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature Edward Said, Orientalism Robert Macfarlane, The Wild Places Richard Mabey, Nature Cure

In which the role suffering plays in creating art is explored and the idea of the tortured artist is contrasted with that of the artist as alchemist. The idea of art as alchemy, as a way of transmuting the ‘base materials’ of sadness, loss, depression and darkness into something golden, is shown to be a more optimistic and inspiring model of creativity, and one that gives us a way of understanding why art is so important to us. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Neal Heppleston, Guy Whittaker, Nick Jonah Davis, Oliver Parfitt, Jenny Bliss and Harriet Earis REFERENCES Alan Garner, The Voice That Thunders: Essays and Lectures Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects: Essays on Art and Effrontery Dez Vylenz, dir., The Mindscape of Alan Moore

In which a number of songs that celebrate evil characters are examined and the question ‘why do good people enjoy songs about bad people?’ is addressed. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Tara Burke, Brooke Sietinsons, Harriet Earis, James Street, Neal Heppleston and Guy Whittaker. Clips from the following songs: Johnny Cash, ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ Steeleye Span, ‘Long Lankin’ Skip James, ‘Crow Jane’ Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, ‘Stagger Lee’ The Rolling Stones, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ Leonard Cohen, ‘The Future’

In which the ways the communities we belong to are shown to affect our sense of self and our ability to find magic, meaning and happiness in our own lives. Differences between narrow communities and those that are more open, welcoming and diverse are looked at and what makes us who we are is shown to involve more than the factual aspects of our identity – the self is shown to be preternatural. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Nick Palmer, Nancy Wallace, Harriet Earis, Oliver Parfitt, Jenny Bliss, Neal Heppleston, Guy Whittaker and Nick Jonah Davis REFERENCES Harry Smith, Anthology of American Folk Music David Olusoga, The James MacTaggart Lecture, Edinburgh TV Festival 2020 Greil Marcus, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics Penda’s Fen Philip Pullman, ‘Imaginary Friends: Are Stories Anti-Scientific?’

In which a contrast between the way folk music is seen in England and the US leads to speculation about the role of Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music in weirding the US folk scene. When is folk music otherworldy and weird and when it is, what is the weirdness due to? MUSIC Sharron Kraus, ‘Barleycorn’ Jane Griffiths & Colin Fletcher, ‘Air’ Alasdair Roberts, ‘I Went Hunting’ (clip) The Iditarod, ‘Raga (in D#)’ Ian Giles, ‘The Bonny Banks of Fordie’ (clip) Jack Rose, ‘Yaman Blues’ Ralph Stanley, ‘O Death’ (clip) Margaret Barry, ‘She Moves Through the Fair’ (clip) Fursaxa, ‘Poplar Moon’ Alula Down, ‘Interruption’ REFERENCES David Keenan, ‘Welcome to the New Weird America’ Greil Marcus, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes Harry Smith, Anthology of American Folk Music Jeanette Leech, Seasons They Change: The Story of Acid and Psychedelic Folk Topic Records, The Voice of the People

In which an old, traditional ceremony – The Ancient Castleton Garland Ceremony – is compared with a new, invented one – the burning of the hare at Sin-Eater Festival and the differences between them that make one spellbinding and the other less so are drawn out. Music by Sharron Kraus Sin Eater Festival recorded by John Still REFERENCES Dan Jones, ‘Dark Rites’ in New Scientist, 17 January 2015 Alan Dundes, Interpreting Folklore Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth Alan Garner, The Voice That Thunders Hans-Georg Gadamer, The Relevance of the Beautiful and Other Essays Ronald Hutton, The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain

In which an examination of M.R. James’ approach to writing ghost stories leads to a distinction between two ways of thinking about the past, the first being a parallel to Edward Said’s Orientalism – a way of treating the past as an exotic and mysterious ‘Other’ – the second, viewing the past as continuous with and persisting into the present, the present as containing palimpsests or time capsules that allow us access to the past. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Harriet Earis and Guy Whittaker REFERENCES Mark Fisher, The Weird and the Eerie M.R. James, Collected Ghost Stories     ‘Ghosts – Treat Them Gently’ The League of Gentlemen Edward Said, Orientalism Penelope Lively, The House at Norham Gardens     The Ghost of Thomas Kempe     The Presence of the Past Charles Butler, Four British Fantasists Rob Young, Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain’s Visionary Music     ‘The Pattern Under the Plough’ Detectorists

In which the enchanting music of The Pied Piper, the natural magic of The Secret Garden, and other fictional portrayals of magic are examined and some are shown to convey aspects of the preternatural magic we can find in the world. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Harriet Earis, Tara Burke, Helena Espvall, Norman Fetter and Howard Wuelfing REFERENCES Susan Cooper, The Dark is RisingKenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia    Of Other Worlds: Essays & Stories John Masefield, The Midnight Follk    The Box of Delights Penelope Lively, The Wild Hunt of HagworthyThe Wicker Man Noël Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror Mark Gatiss, A History of Horror Burnt Offering: The Cult of The Wicker Man

In which the idea that the sense of wonder we are born with automatically diminishes as we mature is brought into question. The factors that erode our sense of wonder are examined and the possibility of reaching adulthood with a sense of wonder intact is argued for. In which the idea that the sense of wonder we are born with automatically diminishes as we mature is brought into question. The factors that erode our sense of wonder are examined and the possibility of reaching adulthood with a sense of wonder intact is argued for. Music by Sharron Kraus, with Guy Whittaker, James Green, Aby Vulliamy, Harriet Earis, Oliver Parfitt and Nick Jonah Davis Clips from Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Lather’ and Rupert Holmes’ ‘Escape (The Piña Colada Song)’ REFERENCES Richard Dawkins, Unweaving the Rainbow Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of the Morals René Descartes, The Passions of the Soul John Ruskin, The Elements of Drawing Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening: A Composer’s Sound Practice

In which a return to Mid Wales triggers a kind of charged and magical experience that feels like a portal onto a more intense world.…

In which the concept of the preternatural is introduced and the importance of a preternatural realm lying between the natural and the supernatural is argued…