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)!
13episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
S9E3: The Discovery of the Treasure Isles by Amelia B. Edwards
1w ago01:06:20Tap 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
2w ago01:03:25Tap 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
3w ago01:15:25Tap 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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S8E8: The Duchess at Prayer by Edith Wharton
Nov 3000:59:46Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah by Stephen King; drinking Free Spirits 'The Spirit of Bourbon'.Damien is reading Rejection: Fiction by Tony Tulathimutte; drinking a Boulevardier (Larceny bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth).Ryan is reading Long Division: Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse and Bad Manners, edited by Doug Murano and Michael Bailey; drinking a Glenlivet 14.If you liked this week’s story, read the interconnected short stories of the Dandridge Cycle by Caitlin R Kiernan.Up next: "The Face of the Monk" by Robert HichensSpecial 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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S8E7: An Evicted Spirit by Marguerite Merington
Nov 2301:03:00Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is watching They Cloned Tyrone (2023; dir Juel Taylor); drinking a Ghia Ginger Spritz.Damien is watching Strange Darling (2024; dir. J.T. Mollner); drinking a Glenmorangie 12.Ryan is play Blue Prince (VG; 2025) ; drinking a Glenlivet Caribbean Cask.If you liked this week’s story, watch Presence (2024; dir. Steven Soderbergh)Up next: "The Duchess at Prayer" by Edith WhartonSpecial 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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S8E6: A Story Told in a Church by Ada Buisson
Nov 1600:56:30Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletchere; drinking a Blind Tiger's Bees Knees.Damien is reading The Haar by David Sodergren; drinking a Larceny bourbon whiskey.Ryan is watching "Adolescence" (Netflix); drinking and Old Forester 86.If you liked this week’s story, watch Black Swan (2010; dir. Darren Aronofsky)Up next: "An Evicted Spirit" by Marguerite MeringtonSpecial 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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S8E5: The Sexton's Adventure by Sheridan Le Fanu
Nov 901:02:27Tap to summarizeBar Talk (our recommendations):Jessica is reading Where Furnaces Burn by Joel Lane; drinking a canned Spiritless Old Fashioned.Damien is reading Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones; drinking a Redbreast 15 Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey.Ryan is reading Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian; drinking the Lagavuhlin 16 yr old.If you liked this week’s story, watch The Forest (2016; dir. Jason Zada)Up next: "A Story Told In Church" by Ada BuissonSpecial 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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