HOLLYWORD

HOLLYWORD is a podcast that explores the lives of history's greatest story-tellers. It is a DIY passion project created by Key Whiskey, who researches, writes, narrates and edits each episode from her home in Sydney, Australia.

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Episodes

Hunter S. Thompson & Everything (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch6)

Hunter S. Thompson couldn’t get out of his own way. He was the kind of guy who sat at the back of the class clowning around and cracking jokes, who pumped out essays the night before they were due; sometimes he produced a hit, sometimes a dud. His flaw was that he had the talent; he just never really applied himself. Why break a sweat when you can fluke your way through? Why stay sober when readers like what you put out while you’re high? Hunter S. Thompson cultivated an image of rockstar propor...

Nov 01, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Jack Kerouac, Philip K. Dick & Amphetamines (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch5)

Jack Kerouac, author of On the Road , and Philip K. Dick, author of The Man in the High Castle , used amphetamines for their writing the way athletes use performance enhancers. Though already talented, a fistful of these so-called ‘smart’ pills helped both men focus their energies and sharpen their minds, and could keep them powering through legendary typing marathons that lasted weeks. But the pharmacological assistance came at a price. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. ...

Oct 25, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas De Quincey & Opium (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch4)

Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas De Quincey are connected by two things: William Wordsworth and opium. Sam met Wordsworth first and together they published The Lyrical Ballads in 1798, which kicked off the Romantic movement and attracted legions of fans. Among them was Thomas De Quincey. He famously tracked down his two idols and insinuated himself into their Lake District clique. Wordsworth was impressed by the much younger Tom, but Sam Coleridge was wary. Perhaps Sam recognised a little too ...

Oct 18, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 4

William S. Burroughs, Hubert Selby Jr. & Heroin (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch3)

William (Bill) S. Burroughs and Hubert Selby Jr. (A.K.A Cubby) lived improbably long lives, considering the damage they inflicted on their bodies via heroin addiction. As the rest of America gloried in the post-WW2 period of prosperity, comfort and conformity, Bill and Cubby explored the ghettos, underpasses and fringes of society, looking for the forgotten people—those cast off and dismissed as unworthy of the so-called American Dream. They were interested in the stories of the homosexuals, dra...

Oct 11, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey & LSD (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch2)

In this second episode, we’re examining the lives of Allen Ginsberg, author of Howl , and Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This pair of talented authors rode the countercultural wave of free love, free thought and free expression that started as a swell in the 50s and crashed over America in the 60s and 70s. Allen and Ken crossed paths frequently during this time, brought together by mutual friends such as Jack Kerouac and Timothy Leary, and a mutual appreciation for LSD. Al...

Oct 04, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Robert Louis Stevenson, Stephen King & Cocaine (Writers Under the Influence S1 Ch1)

Welcome to the debut episode of Hollyword , a new podcast that explores the lives of history’s greatest story-tellers. Our first season, ‘Writers Under the Influence’, looks at authors whose lives and careers are, in the popular imagination, entangled with their substance addictions. The first episode takes on Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS), author of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , and Stephen King, author of The Shining. RLS and Stephen are separated by a century, yet their journeys ...

Sep 27, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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