One of the things that troubles the NT4, and practically every mic when in the field, is handling and wind noise.  There's a foam cover that comes with the NT4 but nothing that will protect you from even modest winds (and we've had this thing out on islands off the coast of Maine where it was wailing on us).

We've gotten this far using an improvised "blimp," consisting of a pencil canister, a paint roller handle, rubber bands and a bunch of feather boas, but it really seemed about time to up the ante... And so we ordered two very nice new items from Rode - the Rode Blimp, and the Rode mini boompole.

We expect to really, really like these two new toys.  We'll do a before/after comparison on the goodies once they arrive from Sweetwater.

A Promise of Spring

For those of us so blessed to live in the temperate regions, the time of year is here again where scent, sounds and light reappear after an austere winter. Feet's worth of snow has melted off, leaving mud and muck and a silly grin that warm days are coming after all.

So while it's tempting to lose oneself in eager planning for outdoor adventure and projects (you should see the garden we're planning this year!) it's also a great time to focus on growth of the audio medium. And it's been an eventful time for that, as well.

In the month of March I had the incredible pleasure of traveling to Ireland to meet Roger Gregg, stay in a 17th c. historic stone manor, romp around the countryside and be chased by sheep. The ideas birthed by that trip have turned into a series of meetings since returning home and are now are being to shape into new projects. Portland, Maine is a small city, to be sure, but one where numerous refugees from the DCs, NYCs, and LAs are heading to enjoy the good life and bringing incredible talent with them.

So despite the depression and funk that most of the world seems to be in right now, here at FinalRune it's only joy, adventure, and free spirit. But then again, we do what we do because we love it, not because we expect (or have ever gotten) a paycheck.

A Trip to Ireland

Ahh, Ireland. 'Trad in pubs, drunken singing, kissing the blarney stone, and leprechauns, no? Well, not exactly...

I'd been dreaming of a trip to Ireland since I first learned of Roger Gregg's involvement with the Gaiety School of Acting's weeklong radio acting workshop.

The plan was to arrange a trip to correspond with that course and participate in some way. While Plan A didn't work out, the window of opportunity worked out between work schedule, money, and frequent flyer miles, so rather than go somewhere lame with palm trees, it was to Ireland beautiful Amy and I headed to for our spring vacation.

While no one will accuse Ireland of being tropical, it was a fair shade warmer than the last throes of our Maine winter. Trust me, being able to stretch the legs, see some spectacular scenery, and hunker down for a proper pint in a traditional pub was nearly worth the trip itself. But wait, there's more.

Roger was an incredible gracious host, taking us on a tour of RTE studios and to a Gaeity School of Acting devising workshop dress rehearsal. We spent much time at restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs discussing the radio arts, where they are, where they're headed, what makes it good, and what fun projects the future should hold.

It's far too early to say anything official, but Roger and I batted around several ideas for collaborative opportunities and maybe one or two of them will actually pan out.

Suffice to say, it was a huge treat to see Roger's studio, get a whole pile of Crazy Dog schwag, and see Dublin through the eyes of a local (man did I wish I knew this town was out there when looking for colleges!). Thanks again Roger, and hope to see you again soon, on this continent or another.

Tune into Radio Drama Revival to hear Roger's latest work, The Heart of Morphine, and to hear an exclusive "fireside chat" held in his Dublin studio.

Short Shorts Released

Just before my trans-Atlantic trip I was charged with the task of coming up with content for my regular show, Radio Drama Revival. I already was running an episodic program (the pulp war adventure Order is Orders), but since my absence fell on the station's semi-annual "Begathon" fundraiser, I wanted something a little bit special.

And so it was that my first short shorts were created, with me stabbing out in no particular direction except to involve the theme of begging for pledges. I took as much inspiration as I could from Tom Lopez's 2 Minute Film Noir and Chillin' Cell Phone Theater, and ended up, I hope, somewhere completely my own.

And heck, even if it wasn't original, it was a lot of fun, and special thanks to FinalRune regulars Philip Hobby, Joe Duley, and Charly Duley for stepping in on a Sunday afternoon to get it all done. This was the first show I've ever recorded and produced in a day, and I think they make it through the frenzied production schedule rather well.

But give it a listen to see for yourself. You can listen online at Radio Drama Revival.

FinalRune to Be Haunting Halloween

Previously I've mentioned that the next coming show will be Lullaby Canyon, an adventure through the underworld through the lens of Southwest mythology. While this will be the next "official" FinalRune story, that doesn't mean there won't be more stories in the meantime!

There are a few particularly exciting FinalRune projects in the works, the biggest being our first live stage show to be held on Halloween. WMPG is in the midst of raising money for a new transmitter (bringing the signal up to 4500 watts -- which will add close to 100,000 listeners!), and what better way to rally support around the radio than to host a one of a kind event?

So we're looking at a 90 minute show live at an auditorium at the University of Southern Maine, which will also be broadcast live over the air. All proceeds from the event (ticket sales and such) will go directly to help the station, and the show will be re-broadcast ad infinitum over the web free-of-charge. Though web listeners will be most welcome to help out the station with a donation themselves.

What will listeners hear? I've been increasingly encouraged to steer away from suspense in favor of comedy, and we will most assuredly hear an adaptation on one of Roger Gregg's works from Crazy Dog Live (where I'm going to find all the live SFX whiz-gigs is yet to be determined). I will be coming up with a script myself, and to round out 90 minutes, I'll be looking for one more script, preferably from a local writer.

If you're in the Portland, Maine area (or feel like a drive to this lovely neck of the woods) mark your calendar now for 7-9PM on Halloween. It will be a once-in-a-long-time kind of experience!

And that's it. Thanks for reading another edition of RuneScapes.

You'll get another one of these as soon as I've got something else I'm ready to share with you, and don't hesitate to contact me with anything you'd like to talk about -- great story ideas, remarks on the craft, things you'd like to see, amazing opportunities I'm failing to see, or profane visions of the sacred.

Thanks for listening!

Fred Greenhalgh
The Ridiculously Optimistic One

In this Issue:

You're getting this because you've been involved in some capacity with FinalRune in the past few years, whether as part of the actual production or more distantly -- enjoying it and telling me so, telling others, inspiring me, teaching me, or giving me a solid whack on the head when needed.

So, thanks for all that, and I tentatively welcome you to what I hope to become a regular sort of newsletter for the productions.

Now, if your first reaction is Tourettes-like cursing at the prospect of yet another email, then hey, the unsubscribe is very handy, you have my humblest apologies, and I shan't bother ye again.

But... permitting you can stand a little bit more verbiage in your inbox, I hope you'll get something of this little ditty, where I'm hoping to divulge some behind-the-scenes info on each production, share more stories, release work before it goes up anywhere else and undoubtedly try and fail to enlighten.

Whether you're a die-hard fan of my stories (and if you are, please tell me) or still wondering why you're on this list, I hope you give me a shot and even more hope you get something out of this email.

It's an honor to have your attention.

Coming Soon: A Trip to "Lullaby Canyon"

On a long highway stretching from one end of the desert to another, a traveler staggers dazed as phantoms dance across the horizon. He's from the North, this kid, and so the experience of the desert is part reality and part gumbo of cultural mythology -- creaky ghost towns, shifty gunslingers, circling vultures and Native American legend. As his spirit nearly collapses on the side of the lonely road, he's picked up by a passing van and brought to a desolate town that wakes up after the sun goes down...

FinalRune's next work, "Lullaby Canyon" (originally a standalone short story called "Some Road Through the Desert") is being reworked in its transformation to audio to be a the sequel to my first work, Day of the Dead.

I wrote the short story only days after being off the road, having just landed in New Orleans after a month-long wander across the coasts in my Miata roadster. I was enamored with the southwest as we traveled through on long highways where you could let go of the wheel and just hit the pedal, through shifting edges and landscape and red and brown.

Beautiful country, and a place worth spending time, if not a lifetime, though I may be too much a lover of Maine's trees and ocean.

I'm working on the adaptation now, which in reality is actually still in the research phase, as I immerse myself in stories of Southwest myth and legend, and in particular tales of the underworld. While we're leaving Orpheus behind, this story does follow the traveler into another world, as he finds ghosts return to a ghost town after dark and himself trapped in a bet with a surly rogue that he can't play a guitar lick to save his life.

Know of any particularly great works of the Southwest you'd like to share? Native American legends? Stories realized in sound -- dramatized, or told? Poems or short stories? Let me know, I'd love to hear!

You can read the original tale -- Some Road Through the Desert here: http://www.cenophobia.com/some-road-through-the-desert/ -- as well as hear me read it aloud!

FinalRune To Release Short Story Originals of Dramatized Work

Speaking of stories of the written type, I've gotten so many requests that I've decided to release the original short stories of FinalRune's adaptations. It's a bit of a fun experiment, as while I doubt these stories are fit for publishing in the New Yorker, why the heck can't I put them on my own site? It's not like I'm paying to have my own book published, and it gives another avenue where people can experience FinalRune.

I'll probably work in reverse chronological order, starting with the release of Waiting for a Window this month and the rest in January. If you think this is a good idea, or a particularly bad one, I'm game for hearing that too.

What Would You Like to See in a FinalRune Podcast?

And, since I don't have enough things to do already, I'm playing with the idea of getting out at least one piece of audio for the FinalRune site a month. It won't be fully produced audio drama, but maybe soundbits, bytes, story fragments or other material. And heck, we know we have some outtakes from some of the shows we've done.

Not a lot of audio drama groups seem to be telling stories around the story (notable exception being ZBS' Meatballs' Meatballs), but I'm hoping that I can help keep the fire going even when I'm not actively producing a tale, and maybe get a few more ears on my work.

Okay, so that's that. Still reading? Great! I haven't failed yet. And hey, maybe I'm lucky, and you even liked it...

So expect to get another one of these next month, if you're up for it, and don't hesitate to contact me with anything you'd like to talk about -- great story ideas, remarks on the craft, things you'd like to see, amazing opportunities I'm failing to see... Just, um, avoid baseball. Not really my thing.

Thanks for listening!

Fred Greenhalgh
Dude Who Makes the Dramas
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