Podcast
Whiskey and the Weird
Hosted by Damien Smith, Jessica Berg, Ryan Whitley · EN
Jessica, Damien and Ryan deep dive in to the amazing Tales of the Weird series published by the British Library. Each season covers one book in the series; each episode will tackle one story in that volume. Past seasons: From The Depths (S1), Crawling Horror (S2), Promethean Horrors (S3), Heavy Weather (S4), The Ghost Slayers (S5), The Night Wire (S6), Evil Roots (S7), Holy Ghosts (S8), and NOW Roads of Destiny: And Other Tales of Alternative Histories and Parallel Realms (S9)!
17episodes
Episodes
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S9E7: The Bad Lands by John Metcalfe
3d ago01:01:18Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin; drinking Yellowstone Toasted Bourbon.Damien is playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025; VG); drinking a Last Word (Drumshanbo gin, Luxardo, lime, and green friggin' Chartreuse).Ryan is watching Project: Hail Mary (2026; dir. Phil Lord and Chris Miller); drinking Glendronach 15 Year. If you liked this week’s story, watch Jacob's Ladder (1990; dir. Adrian Lyne). Up next: "He Walked Around the Horses" by H. Beam Piper Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E6: Scarrowfell by Robert Holdstock
1w ago00:58:00Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is watching The Assessment (2024, dir. Fleur Fortuné); drinking Evil Twin Brewing Pils: Dandies.Damien is watching DTF St. Louis (2026; TV series); drinking Larceny Bourbon old fashioned with chipotle bitters.Ryan is watching Lee Cronin's The Mummy (2026; dir. Lee Cronin); drinking Campbeltown Journey whisky. If you liked this week’s story, read Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore. Up next: "The Badlands" by John Metcalfe Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E5: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
2w ago01:04:51Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Baldwin: a Love Story by Nicholas Boggs; drinking Freeland Spirits Rye.Damien is watching Mother of Flies (2025; dir. Adams Family); drinking Kyrö Wood Smoke Whisky.Ryan is reading Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky; drinking Ardbeg Uigeadail. If you liked this week’s story, read Lakewood by Megan Giddings. Up next: "Scarrowfell" by Robert Holdstock Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E4: The Curfew Tolls by Stephen Vincent Benet
3w ago01:03:12Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is watching The Household (2025; dir. Luke Shaw); drinking Meier's Creek Backwoods Trail.Damien is watching Super Dark Times (2017; dir. Kevin Phillips) & Soft & Quiet (2022; dir. Beth de Araujo); drinking Hai Seas San Oaks Whiskey.Ryan is watching Civil War (2024, dir. Alex Garland); drinking Tullibardine 15. If you liked this week’s story, read Famous Men Who Never Lived by K. Chess. Up next: "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E3: The Discovery of the Treasure Isles by Amelia B. Edwards
May 1801:06:20Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Turtle Island by Sean Sherman; drinking Bodalen Bourbon by Far North Spirits.Damien is watching The Toxic Avenger (2025; dir. Macon Blair); drinking Mary Dowling Bourbon.Ryan is reading If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio; drinking Woodford Reserve Rye Old Fashioned. If you liked this week’s story, read Robert E. Howard's Conan stories: Xuthal of the Dusk, The Iron Shadows of the Moon, and Queen of the Black Coast. Or Lady Eleanor Smith's No Ships Pass (featured in WatW: S1E4). Interested in reading Mrs Roliston's Travelling Adventures by Amelia B Edwards? Find it here: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/80e3bb63-79f3-4505-9c4c-be8cd3d02ff0/ Up next: "The Curfew Tolls" by Stephen Vincent Benet Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E2: An Undistinguished Boy by Gerald Kersh
May 1001:03:25Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is watching Repeat (2021, dir. Richard Miller & Grant Archer); drinking Hudson Whiskey Do The Rye Thing.Damien is reading Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley & Haunted Forest Tour by Jeff Strand and James A. Moore; drinking a Natasha's Pulverized Paste (Elijah Craig whiskey sour with apple and ginger).Ryan is watching "Wayward" (Netflix, 2025); drinking the Glenlivet 14 Cognac Cask. If you liked this week’s story, read The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick Up next: "The Discovery of the Treasure Isles" by Amelia B Edwards. Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S9E1: Roads of Destiny by O. Henry
May 301:15:25Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Salt Slow by Julia Armfield; drinking Uncle Nearest 1884.Damien is watching Marshmallow (2025; dir. Daniel DelPurgatorio); drinking Mary Dowling bourbon.Ryan is reading Yeehaw Junction by Kayli Scholz; drinking the Aberlour 12. If you liked this week’s story, read The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges. Up next: "An Undistinguished Boy" by Gerald Kersh. Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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Christmas Bonus: Smee by A. M. Burrage
Dec 2501:09:31Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is watching Arctic Void (2022; dir. Darren R. Mann); drinking almond nog + Bright Lights, Big Bourbon.Damien is watching Good Boy (2025; dir. Ben Leonberg); drinking a Bhakta 1928.Ryan is watching Shrinking (Apple TV original series); drinking a Gingerbread fartini (vanilla vodka, Frangelico, Bailey's, gingerbread syrup).If you liked this week’s story, watch Head Count (2018; dir. Elle Callahan)Up next: Damn the fates, it's Season 9! Special music licensed for non-commercial use through Creative Commons:Intro/Outro: This is Christmas by Scott HolmesSummary Poem: Christmas Meditation by Dee Yan-KeyLike, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S8E10: The Stalls of the Barchester Cathedral by M. R. James
Dec 1401:07:33Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is bingeing all 14 seasons of King of the Hill; drinking Burnside Bourbon.Damien is reading Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman; drinking a legit painkiller with Pussers Rum (orange, pineapple, cream of coconut, nutmeg).Ryan is reading Ghostland by Edward Parnell; drinking a Lagavulin 16.If you liked this week’s story, read Gothic by Philip Fracassi.Up next: Damn the fates, it's Season 9! And a merry little bonus episode interlude...Special thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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S8E9: The Face of the Monk by Robert Hichens
Dec 701:04:36Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir; drinking Freeland Spirits Bourbon.Damien is watching Freaky Tales (2024; dir. Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck); drinking a Hibiki Japanese Harmony.Ryan is reading A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck; drinking a Highland Park 12.If you liked this week’s story, watch Black Box (2020; dir. Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour).Up next: "The Stalls of the Barchester Cathedral" by the inimitable M. R. JamesSpecial thank you to Dr Blake Brandes for our Whiskey and the Weird music! Like, rate, and follow! Check us out @whiskeyandtheweird on Instagram, Threads & Facebook, and at whiskeyandtheweird.com
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