Spider on the Web

Spider on the Web 94 - The Starvation Box

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:22:02 -0800

The Starvation Box
© 2013 by Spider Robinson
Music: Colin MacDonald.

Spider on the Web 93 - Another Free Lunch

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 09:18:16 -0800

Another Free Lunch
© 2013 by Spider Robinson
Reading: Chapters 3 & 4, THE FREE LUNCH by Spider Robinson. Music: Tim Minchin, The Creber Family, Michelle Creber, Gina Sposto, Doug Cox, Marcus Eaton with James Raymond, Dori Rubbicco Legge.

Spider on the Web 92 - A Free Lunch

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:01:44 -0700

A Free Lunch
© 2012 by Spider Robinson
Reading: "The Littlest Dragon" by Seymour Hamilton; Chapters 1 & 2, THE FREE LUNCH by Spider Robinson. Music: Mose Scarlett; Folk Uke; John Boutte; Gale Mead; Scarlett, Washington & Whiteley.

Spider on the Web 91 - The Voyage South

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:02:04 -0700

The Voyage South
© 2012 by Spider Robinson
Reading: Prologue of Book I of the Astreya Trilogy, THE VOYAGE SOUTH, by Seymour Hamilton. Music: Kathleen Rubbicco, Strung, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ella Fitzgerald with the Ray Brown Quintet, Tony Dominelli, and Lord Buckley.

Spider on the Web 90 - It's Time Now...

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:40:28 -0700

It's Time Now...
© 2011 by Spider Robinson
Reading: "Chronic Offender." Music: The Lovin' Spoonful, Spider singing Tim Minchin, Ann Earthling & The Planets, Nils Landgren & Michael Wollny, Joshua Penman and Akara, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Mose Scarlett.

Spider on the Web 89 - Life Goes On

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:32:09 -0700

Life Goes On
© 2011 by Spider Robinson
Music: Naming the Twins, Corbin Keep, Slide to Freedom, Crosby-Nash, Across the Borderline.

Spider on the Web 88 - Bianca's Hands

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:54:44 -0800

Bianca's Hands
© 2011 by Spider Robinson
Reading: "Bianca's Hands" and "Godbody" by Theodore Sturgeon. Music: McCarthy, Richards & Legge; Colin MacDonald; Crosby & Nash.

Spider on the Web 87 - Live at Tottering-On-The-Brink

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:56:23 -0800

Live at Tottering-On-The-Brink
© 2011 by Spider Robinson
Music: Dori Legge, Claude Debussy, CPE Bach, Steve Reich, Tom Johnson, Colin MacDonald, Jacob ter Veldhuis.

Spider on the Web 86 - VPL Podshop #3 (of 3)

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:40:42 -0800

VPL Podshop #3 (of 3)
© 2011 by Spider Robinson

Podshops created as Vancouver Public Library's Writer In Residence.
00:01 "Magic," by Greg Stephens
4:22 "Clearly," by Steve Robson
15: 30 "Legacy of Ariast," by Jeffrey Stephens
20:00 "The Pinch," by Melissa Tepperman

Spider on the Web 85 - VPL Podshop #2 (of 3)

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 11:26:58 -0800

VPL Podshop #2 (of 3)
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Podshops created as Vancouver Public Library's Writer In Residence.
"Domestic Disturbance": :48
"The Raising": 8:52
"The Navigators": 22:40
"The Samhain Murders": 37:20

Spider on the Web 84 - VPL Podshop #1 (of 3)

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:09:40 -0800

VPL Podshop #1 (of 3)
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Podshops created as Vancouver Public Library's Writer In Residence.
Kristi Charish's 'Transfections' begins @ 4:00.
Stephanie Cruz's 'Perihelion': 18:12.
Pat Dobie's 'The Liquid World': 33:21.
Michael Donoghue's 'Good Intentions':50:42.
Comments begin at 1:04:19, and follow above order.

Spider on the Web 83 - Merry Crozmas & Son!

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:55:49 -0800

Merry Crozmas & Son!
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Music: Local Anxiety, Bambi Kino, David Crosby and James Raymond (including multiple world premieres).

Spider on the Web 82 - Back on the Air

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:05:48 -0700

Back on the Air
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Music: Shari Ulrich, Pauline Le Bel, Christie Grace, Tony Dominelli, Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, Colin MacDonald w/ Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble, Doug Cox w/ John Boutté & Salil Bhatt, Matt & Wendy Maxwell, Spider Robinson.

Spider on the Web 81 - Meditations on Mortality

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:50:18 -0700

Meditations on Mortality
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Music: Jeff Healey and accopmlices; Jeanne Robinson & Dori Legge; CPR.

Spider on the Web 80 - Satan's Children II

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:12:45 -0700

Satan's Children II
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Reading: Conclusion of "Satan's Children" by Spider Robinson. Music: Doug Cox w/ Salil Bhatt, Ramkumesh Kumar & John Boutte; James Taylor; Big Joe Williams w/ Lambert Hendricks & Ross and Count Basie And His Orchestra; Doug Cox w/ Amos Garret & Ron Casat.

Spider on the Web 79 - Satan's Children

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:17:10 -0800

Satan's Children
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Reading: Part 1 of "Satan's Children" by Spider Robinson. Music: Roy Schultz, Janis Ian, Graham Nash, Gale Mead.

Spider on the Web 78 - Music with a Wooden Leg

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:23:06 -0800

Music with a Wooden Leg
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Music: David Crosby, Steve Morse, Jonathan Edwards & Orphan, Cyril Pahinui, Oscar Peterson Trio, Lhasa de Sela, Kenny Barron with Trio Da Paz & Anne Drummond.

Spider on the Web 77 - Pruzy's Pot

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:18:04 -0800

Pruzy's Pot
© 2010 by Spider Robinson

Reading: "Pruzy's Pot," read by Theodore Sturgeon. Music: Tracey Cayolle, CPR, Doug Cox.

Spider on the Web 76 - Mess o' Music

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:11:43 -0800

Mess o' Music
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: George Harrison, Leslie Alexander, Jane Siberry, Amos Garrett, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Danielle Miraglia, Cliff Eberhardt, Lou Killen, Stacey Earle, Mark Stuart, Joyce Moreno.

Spider on the Web 75 - Inhumanly Readable

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:19:23 -0800

Inhumanly Readable
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Reading: Part 2 of "Human Readable" by Cory Doctorow. Music: Les Finnigan, Ellis Paul, WJ Plecha, Rhonda Rosalee, Jeff Pevar, Maria Joao.

Spider on the Web 74 - Human Readable

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:24:52 -0800

Human Readable
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Reading: Part 1 of "Human Readable" by Cory Doctorow. Music: Watermelon Slim and the Workers, Viktoria Tolstoy, Esbjorn Svensson Trio.

Spider on the Web 73 - Music from the Heart

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:18:08 -0700

Music from the Heart
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Mose Allison, Tony Dominelli, Pauline LeBel, Shari Ulrich, Barney Bentall & Tom Taylor, Matt Maxwell, Wendy Maxwell, Rob Bailey & Stan Gadziola, Gale Mead, Dori Legge with Donn Legge, Spider Robinson with Kathleen Rubbicco, Lisa Thiel, Colin MacDonald, David Crosby & Graham Nash.

Spider on the Web 72 - 16-year old Fogey

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:58:40 -0700

16-year old Fogey
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Amos Garrett, Half Hearted Hero, Dori & Donn Legge, Carole King, Esperanza Spalding, Genya Ravan, Madeleine Peyroux, Carla Bley, The Dixie Dregs.

Spider on the Web 71 - Suicide Prevention Kit

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:54:21 -0700

Suicide Prevention Kit
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Readings: A SAUCER OF LONELINESS and SUICIDE by Theodore Sturgeon. Music: Livingston Taylor, Maria Muldaur with Amos Garrett, Les Paul Trio, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Leon Russell.

Spider on the Web 70 - Hot Music Tonight

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:59:41 -0700

Hot Music Tonight
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Tom Rush, Swamp Valley Ladybugs, Women's Chain Gang (1939), Tres Femmes, James Taylor & Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Bobby Gentry & Donovan, Jim Croce, Django Reinhardt playing electric guitar w/ Duke Ellington Orchestra, Nobutake Ito and the Swing Niglots of Tokyo, Celso Machado, Todd Butler, Todd Butler w/ Spider Robinson, Spider Robinson folkaoke tracks, Todd Butler & Doug Cox, Dori Legge & Kathy Rubbico.

Spider on the Web 69 - Slow Sculpture

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:24:01 -0700

Slow Sculpture
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Reading: SLOW SCULPTURE by Theodore Sturgeon. Music: Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara, Richard Galliano & Gonzalo Rubalcaba, James Taylor & Bobby Gentry, Chet Atkins & Paul Yandell.

Spider on the Web 68 - Supersized Music

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:31:06 -0700

Supersized Music
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Cass Elliot, Celco Machado, Seu Jorge, The Rutles, Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt, George Harrison, Chet Atkins, Colin MacDonald, Esbjorn Svensson, Lord Buckley, Dori Legge.

Spider on the Web 67 - Starmind

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:54:52 -0700

Starmind
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Reading: STARMIND by Spider Robinson. Music: Paul Pena, Doug Cox, Breeze Cayolle.

Spider on the Web 66 - Jazz Birds

Fri, 01 May 2009 11:24:29 -0700

Jazz Birds
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Molly Johnson, Elizabeth Shepherd, Roberta Gambarini, Luciana Souza, Esperanza Spalding, Ana Carolina, Seu Jorge, Maria Bethania, Sunny Crownover, David Crosby.

Spider on the Web 65 - Road to Recovery

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:53:15 -0700

Road to Recovery
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Reading: STARMIND by Spider Robinson. Music: Blues Train Band, Sunny and Her Joy Boys, Blossom Dearie with Marian McPartland, Dori Legge, Edison Ripsborn.

Spider on the Web 64 - I Want Your Sax

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:40:45 -0800

I Want Your Sax
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music: Mr. X, Victor Assis Brasil, Coleman Hawkins, Ernie Watts, Benny Carter, George Coleman, Sax Brothers (Joe Lovano/Johannes Enders/Gary Smulyan/Greg Osby), Sax Special (Peter Brotzmann/Evan Parker/ Willem Brueker/John Tchicai/Steve Lacy), World Saxophone Quartet (James Carter/Hamiet Bluiett/Greg Osby/Oliver Lake), Johnny Hodges.

Spider on the Web 63 - Thirteen O'Clock

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 20:40:30 -0800

Thirteen O'Clock
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

EXTREME EXPLICIT WARNING. Readings: "The Truth About David Gerrold," by Spider Robinson, and "Thirteen O'Clock," by David Gerrold. Music: Spike Jones & His City Snickers; Vladimir Vysotsky; Watermelon Slim; Corbin Keep.

Spider on the Web 62 - Music by Family and Friends

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:28:19 -0800

Music by Family and Friends
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music by D. Warwick, Kathleen Rubbicco, Peter Armstrong, Tracey Cayolle, Brian "Breeze" Cayolle, Paul Pena, Chirgilchin, Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun, Seth Augustus.

Spider on the Web 61 - In Fading Suns and Dying Moons

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:44:02 -0800

In Fading Suns and Dying Moons
© 2009 by Spider Robinson

Music by Schaun Tozer, James Raymond, and Dave Van Ronk. Readings of "In Fading Suns And Dying Moons" by John Varley, and of Chapter 1 of BAD NEWS by Donald E. Westlake.

Spider on the Web 60 - Christmas Card from an author in Vancouver

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:42:56 -0800

Christmas Card from an author in Vancouver
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Music by The Beatles, Jake Thackray, Redips Nosnibor, Colin MacDonald, Blossom Dearie, Hoagy Carmichael and Georgie Fame, Amos Garrett, Barrence Whitfield, Ray Charles, and Tom Waits.

Spider on the Web 59 - The Magnificent Conspiracy: A real-life holiday miracle

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:36:29 -0800

The Magnificent Conspiracy
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Reading: "The Magnificent Conspiracy." Music by 3-Dog Night, Jeff Healey, Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello.

Spider on the Web 58 - All-Music Birthday Special

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:03:28 -0800

All-Music Birthday Special
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Music by Spider, Chris Coon, Matt Maxwell, Mike & Monique Creber, Sligo Rags, Rubbicco Family, Gary Bartz & Kenny Barron, Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio, Jennifer Scott & Rene Worst, Treasa Levasseur, Colin MacDonald.

Spider on the Web 57 - The Persistence of Vision

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:31:53 -0800

The Persistence of Vision
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Reading: Hugo and Locus Award-winning novella "The Persistence of Vision" by John Varley. Music by John Boutte, Doug Cox, Jake Thackray, David Crosby.

Spider on the Web 56 - More Music You've Never Heard

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:48:34 -0700

More Music You've Never Heard
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Music by Schaun Tozer, Egberto Gismonti, Alexandre Gistmonti, Darrell Scott, Gale Mead with Amos Garrett, Phoebe Snow, Gerald Wilson, Thelonious Monk, Prasanna, and Matt Maxwell.

Spider on the Web 55 - Starseed

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:29:56 -0700

Starseed
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Readings: part 1 reading from STARSEED, part 2 from SOCIETY'S CHILD.

Music by James Raymond, Johnny Winter, Gale Mead, Janis Ian, and Stanley Unwin.

Spider on the Web 54 - Stardance

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:39:53 -0700

Stardance
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Readings: excerpt from “Stardance,” by S & J; “Options” by John Varley

Music: “Cottontail,” by Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra; “Sweet Marajuana Brown,” by Joe Thomas with the Barney Bigard Sextet and Art Tatum; “Muggles” by Louis Armstrong; “Pak Alit” by Colin Macdonald.

Spider on the Web 53 - Classic Frederick Pohl

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:10:47 -0700

Classic Frederick Pohl
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Readings: two classic Frederik Pohl stories, “Day Million” and “We Purchased People.” The latter requires at least 6 X’s in its warning, and maybe a Not For The Squeamish too.

Music: opening and closing tracks “EGF Receptor 20 (671-998)” and “Human Phospholipase A2-11A,” by God, interpreted by Dr. William Campbell and Matthew Campbell; “Estate,” by Bruno Martino & Bruno Brighetti, English lyrics (“In Summer”) by Jon Hendricks, guitar and vocal by Spider Robinson; “Ground Speed,” by Bela Fleck, performed by Bela, Earl Scruggs, Jerry Douglas et. al.

Spider on the Web 52 - Musicfest 08 Discoveries

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:32:12 -0700

Musicfest 08 Discoveries
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Music: Musicfest 08 Discoveries Eneida Marta, Shane Koyczan, and Matt Andersen, plus Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie, and Spider live off the floor; talk: entering its second year SOTW reluctantly faces reality.

Spider on the Web 51 - How I Got My Dream Back

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:21:56 -0700

How I Got My Dream Back
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Reading: "How I Got My Dream Back"; music: Doug Cox, Todd Butler, Salil Bhatt, John Boutte, Spider Robinson.

Spider on the Web 50 - The Guy With the Eyes

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 07:21:39 -0700

The Guy With the Eyes
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Reading: "The Guy With the Eyes"; music: Duke Ellington Orchestra, CSNY.

Spider on the Web 49 - Orphans of Eden

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:11:44 -0700

Orphans of Eden
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Readings: "Orphans of Eden," "Local Champ"; music: Koerner, Ray & Glover.

Spider on the Web 48 - Soul Search

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 22:31:12 -0700

Soul Search
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Reading: "Soul Search" (complete); music: Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Charlie Haden Quartet West.

Spider on the Web 47 - Very Hard Choices 6

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:26:25 -0700

Very Hard Choices 6
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING. Readings from Very Hard Choices, including a missing bit from SOTW-044; music by C&N, and CPR.

Spider on the Web 46 - Very Hard Choices 5

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:46:35 -0700

Very Hard Choices 5
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING. Readings from Very Hard Choices; music by CSN, CPR, and Sinatra.

Spider on the Web 45 - Very Hard Choices 4

Fri, 30 May 2008 09:02:41 -0700

Very Hard Choices 4
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING. Readings from Very Hard Choices; music by Steve Wiest Big Band, Carla Bley & The Lost Chords

Spider on the Web 44 - Very Hard Choices 3

Fri, 23 May 2008 20:14:53 -0700

Very Hard Choices 3
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING. Readings from Very Hard Choices; music by Georgie Fame, F Zappa, Dave Van Ronk.

Spider on the Web 43 - Little Brother 2

Fri, 16 May 2008 18:23:44 -0700

Little Brother 2
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING. Fiction readings of Cory Doctorow's LITTLE BROTHER and my VERY HARD CHOICES. Music by James. Raymond.

Spider on the Web 42 - No Talking, Just Great Music

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:19:48 -0700

No Talking, Just Great Music
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

All music this week: an eclectic selection from all directions. Sounds and sweet airs by Amiri Baraka with Air, Stan Getz & Kenny Barron, Graham Nash, Todd Butler, Michael Friedman, Breeze Cayolle, Doug Cox & Salil Bhatt with John Boutte, and Colin MacDonald.

Spider on the Web 41 - Little Brother

Sat, 03 May 2008 11:00:44 -0700

Little Brother
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Explicit Language Warning; more music from Bowen Island; a reading from LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow.

Spider on the Web 40 - Music of 3 Islands

Sat, 03 May 2008 10:59:13 -0700

Music of 3 Islands
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING; an all-music podcast by 10 different artists; music: Tom Rush, Shael Wrinch, Shari Ulrich

Spider on the Web 39 - Very Hard Choices 2

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:34:26 -0700

Very Hard Choices 2
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING; reading from VERY HARD CHOICES; music: Dave Frishberg, Good Brothers, Todd Butler

Spider on the Web 38 - Very Hard Choices

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:20:20 -0700

Very Hard Choices
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

XXX WARNING; reading from VERY HARD CHOICES; music: Leon Bibb, and Spider with Todd Butler.

Spider on the Web 37 - Very Bad Deaths 2

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 10:16:58 -0700

Very Bad Deaths 2
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT LANGUAGE WARNING. Readings from VERY BAD DEATHS; NEW music by Amos Garrett, Duke Robillard & New Guitar Summit.

Spider on the Web 36 - Remarkable Women

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:06:08 -0700

Remarkable Women
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Spider offers music by & prose about some remarkable women: Gale Mead, Carla Bley, Blossom Dearie, Dori Leggé, and the Bunny. XXX EXPLICIT WARNING! Adult language and outrageous sexual situations.

Spider on the Web 35 - No Science Fiction, Only Music

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:34:07 -0700

No Science Fiction, Only Music
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Spider has so much good music backed up inside him, he's about to explode. Here are performances by Jeff Healey, Moe Scarlett, Jordin Kare, Seth Augustus, Chirgilchin, Dorrie Leger, Matt Richard, Les Finnigan, and David Qualey.

Spider on the Web 34 - Rocket Ship Galileo

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:26:26 -0700

Rocket Ship Galileo
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Spider reads the first chapter from Robert Heinlein's ROCKET SHIP GALILEO, excerpted from his Blackstone Audio recording.

Spider on the Web 33 - Callahan's Legacy

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:22:29 -0800

Callahan's Legacy
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

EXPLICIT WARNING. Spider reads from CALLAHAN'S LEGACY, and bids farewell to the late great bluesman Jeff Healey.

Spider on the Web 32 - Not Fade Away/Orphans Of Eden

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:39:48 -0800

Not Fade Away/Orphans Of Eden
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Two complete short stories from USER FRIENDLY, plus caustic, mystic or acoustic music from Todd Butler, Janis Ian, Salil Bhatt & Doug Cox, and Rob Bowen & Stan Gadziola.

Spider on the Web 31 - Very Bad Deaths

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:12:40 -0800

Very Bad Deaths
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

This week I read excerpts from VERY BAD DEATHS (whose sequel VERY HARD CHOICES comes out in June), and also bring you a selection of serious music by the Colin MacDonald Pocket Orchestra, semiserious filk music by Nate Bucklin, and gloriously goofy unreleased word music by Lord Buckley and friends. WARNING! Explicit language!

Spider on the Web 30 - Soul from Hamburg to Halifax and back

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 21:16:25 -0800

Soul from Hamburg to Halifax and back
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Overdue props, shout-outs and thanks to new friends and old; music by Stefan Gwildis, Bill Stevenson & Tom Easley, and David Qualey; plus 3 readings from The Crazy Years, debating the sentience of a strange race called the Yoominz of Sol III...

Spider on the Web 29 - Blues Train Band

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:19:03 -0800

Blues Train Band
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Stop the presses, press all the stops, hold the phone, phone the hold and bring the poop to the poopdeck, by heck! Wake the kids and start kiddin' at the wake Jake, 'cause there's breakin' news about to break, news so good it's hard to take. I got news about blues for all of youse about which we will all enthuse. For the first time in its history, lentils and jadiemen, Spider on the Web #29 is going to bring you a world premiere of the brand new CD out of Massachusetts by New Bedford's notorious Blues Train Band.

There is also a reading of Chapter 19 from VARIABLE STAR.

Spider on the Web 28 - Mindkiller

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:07:37 -0800

Mindkiller
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

In Spider on the Web #20 I read you excerpts from all three of the novels represented in the LIFEHOUSE TRILOGY, the new hardcover omnibus just out from Baen Books. Because I was reading excerpts from all three books each one of them had to be very short and I ended up cutting at least one of them a lot shorter than I wanted to. I've decided to revisit it now: the short story "God is an Iron", which later became the second chapter of the novel MINDKILLER.Warning! Explicit language!

Musical selections will be performed by Spider Robinson.

Spider on the Web 27 - Time Pressure

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:48:26 -0800

Time Pressure
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

This week I'll read you an excerpt from my novel TIME PRESSURE, part of the LIFEHOUSE TRILOGY set in Nova Scotia at the end of the 60's. In this excerpt our misanthropic hippie-hermit-hero Sam has just witnessed the explosive arrival of a beautiful, naked time traveller named Rachel in the snowy woods, and brought her home to warm up. Warning! Explicit language!

Musical selections will be performed by Andrew York, Jonathan Edwards, and David Crosby.

Spider on the Web 26 - Lifehouse

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:19:03 -0800

Lifehouse
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

This week I'm going to read you a portion of one of the three novels contained in the LIFEHOUSE TRILOGY, available now in a single hardcover volume from Baen Books. Chapter One of the novel LIFEHOUSE, the conclusion of the trilogy which was my attempt to come up with a reason to be a good man that did not require a god with thunderbolts up his sleeve to enforce it -- what seems to me to be a rational man's substitute for religion. Warning! X-rated language!

Musical selections will be performed by Colin MacDonald, David Crosby, James Raymond, and Graham Nash.

Spider on the Web 25 - Book Reviews

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:19:57 -0800

Book Reviews
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

Welcome to SOTW #25 and the book reviews I promised of two SF novels by non-SF writers: Rafi Zabor's THE BEAR COMES HOME, and Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD. Warning! X-rated language!

Musical selections will be performed by the Charlie Haden Quartet, John Coltrane, Todd Butler, and Dory Previn.

Spider on the Web 24 - Zero-G Party

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:15:29 -0800

Zero-G Party
© 2008 by Spider Robinson

I'd really like to open this week with a live interview with my wife, the successful zero-gravity choreographer who has just come back from a trip to heaven at the end of the year 07. Sadly, she has begged off -- she's still in the middle of doing interviews for news media, dance media, science fiction media, and she's really beginning to hear herself answer the same questions over and over again. So I'm goin to open right now with a little bit of time travel, back to the late 80's when Jeanne and I are having one of the very few disagreements that we ever had over the course of our collaboration on the STARDANCE TRILOGY.

Musical selections will be performed by Johnny Winter and the Rubbico sisters.

Spider on the Web 23 - Preflight Reading from STARDANCE

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 11:45:34 -0800

Preflight Reading from STARDANCE
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

Because of one particular person's desire to rise up -- my wife Jeanne -- I'm packing to go to Las Vegas. For those who don't know, this weekend my best friend and wife is getting a golden opportunity to experience zero-gravity in a series of parabolic arcs abord a modified 727 thanks to the generosity of Dr. Peter Diamandis, creator of the historic Ansari X-Prize. This week I'm going to give a reading from the STARDANCE TRILOGY, the novels that Jeanne and I wrote about dance in zero-gravity.

Musical selections will be performed by Crosby & Nash, and Janis Ian.

Spider on the Web 22 - More Great Music

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:20:12 -0800

More Great Music
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

My holiday pledge to you is: NO FRIGGIN' CHRISTMAS MUSIC. That's right friends, this will be a carol-free zone for the duration of the holidays.

Musical selections will be performed by Seth Augustus, Paul Pena, John Walker, Amos Garrett and Spider Robinson.

WARNING! Explicit language!

Spider on the Web 21 - Scienific Orthodoxymoron

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:16:08 -0800

Scienific Orthodoxymoron
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

So far these podcasts have careened from science fact to science fiction to science opinion, to silence-improving music. This week I'm going to try something new, and as dangerous as sweating dynamite: science dogma. We're going to discuss one of the newest and strangest mental diseases our species has yet developed: pursuing scientific facts with religious fervor.

Musical selections will be performed by Jaymes Raymond, the New Orleans Jazz Ramblers, Crosby & Nash, Amos Garrett, and Todd Butler.

WARNING! Explicit language!

Spider on the Web 20 - Stories and Strings

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:02:53 -0800

Stories and Strings
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

This week we return to some of what I do best: science fiction. You'll hear excerpts from three novels that make up the omnibus edition of THE LIFEHOUSE TRILOGY, just released by Baen Books, reprinting MINDKILLER, TIME PRESSURE, and LIFEHOUSE.

Musical selections will be performed by Doug Cox, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Amos Garrett, and Andrew York.

Spider on the Web 19 - The Crazy Years

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:56:05 -0800

The Crazy Years
© 2000 - 2007 by Spider Robinson

This week we break new ground with used, but timeless, material. It's time for what I call speculative non-fiction: a science fiction writer's take on world events, a futurist's thoughts on the recent past.

Crazy Years columns:
"Evil's Rootkiller" © 2000
"School will be ending next month" © 2003
"You Just Can't Kill for Jesus/Allah/Yahweh/Rama/Elvis..." © 2002
"Whatever" © 2003

Musical selections will be performed by Colin MacDonald, Breeze Cayolle and Spider Robinson.

Spider on the Web 18 - Awesome Music

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:33:45 -0800

Awesome Music You May Not Know -- Yet
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

I love reading you fiction, I love ranting about idiocy in the news, I love rhapsodizing about the frontier called the inner solar system, and we'll get to some of that, but I believe turning people on to great music is the most fun you can have with your pants on and one of the holiest chores there is. Here is music you may not know from Spider John Koerner, David Crosby and CPR, and a couple of my own originals including the song David Crosby and I wrote for my novel Variable Star.

Spider on the Web 17 - Melancholy Elephants

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 12:47:27 -0800

Melancholy Elephants
© 1983 by Spider Robinson

She sat zazen, concentrating on not concentrating, until it was time to prepare for the appointment. Sitting seemed to produce the usual serenity, put everything in perspective. Her hand did not tremble as she applied her make-up; tranquil features looked back at her from the mirror. She was mildly surprised, in fact, at just how calm she was, until she got out of the hotel elevator at the garage level and the mugger made his play. She killed him instead of disabling him. Which was obviously not a measured, balanced action--the official fuss and paperwork could make her late. Annoyed at herself, she stuffed the corpse under a shiny new Westinghouse roadable whose owner she knew to be in Luna, and continued on to her own car. This would have to be squared later, and it would cost. No help for it--she fought to regain at least the semblance of tranquillity as her car emerged from the garage and turned north. Nothing must interfere with this meeting, or with her role in it.

Spider on the Web 15 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #8

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:21:08 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #8: Space Generation
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

The first thing “space generation” makes me think of is the quantum ramjet, a hypothetical star drive I chose as the motive force for the starship Charles Sheffield in VARIABLE STAR, my new collaboration with Robert A. Heinlein. It would make use of quantum fluctuations in the energy of the cosmic vacuum to propel a ship up to relativistic speeds quickly, without burning any fuel. No such engine has been built yet—but the engineer who proposed it, David Froning, mentioned parenthetically that if a quantum ramjet were ever built, it might very well create new universes, every second it was in operation, as a side effect. It’s kind of hard to top that for space generation.

Spider on the Web 13 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #7

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:26:40 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #7: Space Society
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

“Space Society” is an ambiguous topic, just as “Space Art” was. There’s more than one way to interpret it.

The easy way out would be to discuss some of the largest of the many organizations that exist to support the study of astronomy, cosmology, planetology and other space-related disciplines, or to encourage manned and/or unmanned spaceflight, or to promote orbital science, industry and/or tourism, or to call for demilitarization of space, or…

Spider on the Web 11 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #6

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:30:17 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #6: Space Law
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

Ask Elliot Ness. The power of a law—its meaning—depends on who’s committed to enforcing it, and how far they’re prepared to go. In David Milch’s HBO series Deadwood, nobody seems prepared to enforce much of anything, and perhaps you’ve seen the dire consequences of such anarchy: the rights of prostitutes were not respected, men were sometimes cheated, wealth and power and information lay in the hands of a few, undertaking was handled by voracious swine, and foul language was heard in public. Nothing like the shining civilization of laws we enjoy today.

Spider on the Web 9 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #5

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:33:08 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #5: Space Art
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

It’s probably apocryphal—the best ones usually are—but one of my favorite quotations is what Mahatma Ghandi is supposed to have responded when asked what he thought of Western Civilization. They say he replied gently, “That would be very nice.”

A lot of people will give you some variant of that same response if you ask them about space art. “Great idea. Somebody should try that.” “What space art?” I draw blanks with the idea all the time at social gatherings. Nobody seems to realize there is any.

Spider on the Web 7 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #4

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:36:37 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #4: Militarization of Space
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

To my surprise, not even the wonderful Wizard Of Google can pin down exactly when the militarization of space became unstoppable. In the first place, China’s finally sussed out the secret to the Information Age: smother it with so much contradictory information nobody can say for sure just what you said, or when...much less why. And they’ve always known what to do about military information: lie.

Spider on the Web 5 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #3

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:39:20 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #3: Spirituality of Space
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

The spiritual impulse can be a dangerous thing when it goes public. Ask anyone who was in New York five years ago, or anyone still alive in Baghdad today...It’s hard to talk about spirituality without talking about religion, and most of the world’s religions are, whether they admit it or not, mutually exclusive. That’s the only way I can explain the odd fact that spirituality is one of the least-known attractions of space travel.

Spider on the Web 3 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #2

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:42:26 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #2: Sustaining the Planet
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

Sustaining the planet means widely different things to all of us—so let’s try and define our aim. The phrase surely isn’t meant literally. Terra was sustaining herself just fine for millions of years before the first oxygen-producing lifeforms infested her and wrecked her nice methane ecosystem, dooming entire phyla to extinction. Mother Gaia’s not alarmed by “global warming”: she’s survived vastly greater environmental changes more than once, and will again.

Spider on the Web 1 - Thrillin' at the MacMillan #1

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:44:58 -0700

Thrillin' at the MacMillan #1: Space Tourism
© 2007 by Spider Robinson

I’ve spent several decades rebutting silly complaints about “money wasted in space.” Dollars have been spent getting there—but every single buck stopped here, on the ground, in the pocket of some smart person. Furthermore, every dollar NASA spent earned thirteen dollars back. Look what it got them: a manned space program that barely exists and has little future.