Listener Mail: Keep Watching the Skies

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something to that effect, just to sort of keep things flowing. Uh. We we often point out, you know, we we could not do this show if it wasn't for our listeners and uh and and that that applies to not only your support and your interests, but also to the hard numbers of the podcast game. That's true. So if you want to, if you want to have a way to be supportive of the show, one way to do that

is to be current on your listening. Of course, another way to be support of the show is to simply right into listener mail and hey, here we are in a listener mail episode. Let's do some listener mail. That's right. So we got a bunch of great responses to our series on horror vakuih the Fear of the Void and it's many manifestations. This first message came from Corina Rob Do you mind if I read this? Go for it.

Corina says, Hello, guys, I've enjoyed listening to your podcast for a couple of years now, but what made me write in now is that it recently contributed to a creative project of mine by coincidence. I am an avid hobby artist, and I listened to podcasts while I'm drawing or painting. I always learned something new and it helps me focus on my work. Anyway, I had just finished a sketch I wasn't entirely happy with and couldn't pinpoint

what was bothering me about it. Then, while I was chuckling to myself about old maps so convoluted with details that one wishes to quote close the ads, that was a good one, Rob, that that was you, Corina says, it hit me. This issue had cross time and space and arrived directly at my desk. My comic style drawing shows two people on a cliff with a sunset sky in the background. Photos attached. If you're interested, Rob, we

can take a look, which should be easy enough. I've loved drawing since I could hold a pencil, and I had a ref friends for this particular scene anyway, But I had decided to go for a blindingly colorful sky drawn in boldish lines. Uh, fill it with some clouds, then add a riot of scribbles to the cliff and way too many pebbles to boot because every one of these details, taken by itself, struck me as pretty or interesting. However, the characters who were supposed to be the center of

attention ended up getting lost in this crowded chaos. After the epiphany that I had an unreasonable fixation on unnecessary decorations. I made myself really think about what is actually important and streamlined the rest, A good course of action in many a situation, I'd say at the end of the simplified scenery and in turn extra attention to the character's poses and expressions makes the finish drawing, in my opinion,

far superior to the sketch. Sorry for going on a bit long, but I had to share my account of horror akawy at work. Now, please excuse me while I explore the depths of the stuff to blow your mind archive and wait for Friday's Weird House Cinema episode. Best Wishes and lots of luck from across the Ocean Corina and then Rob. I've attached both of the images she

shared with us here. Uh you know, crean Up. I like them both, but I agree that the characters stand out way more in the second and the first they almost kind of blend into the background. And you're you're correct, that is a lot of pebbles. Yeah, yeah, I like these. So yeah, the kind of punk, goth Edward gory kind of images, I like it. That's good. Alright. This next

one comes to us from Chuck five. Chuck five says, in your conversations about the abhorrent void, I suggest discussing MOM, the Japanese aesthetic theory that what is not there defines what is. If you've ever watched anime the breathing room carved out by scenes of water dripping from leaves or just silent planes of snow, this is MOM. It also

saves animation time and money. Winky emoticon um and Chuck five includes a link here and says I find it peaceful and not depending on what part of nothing is depicted. So I was reading more about this concept. I've seen it described as a a Japanese or a Sino Japanese concept, but it came across a good explanation of it in a recent art and architecture book by a uv A

architecture professor named Sanda Ilisque. The book was called Experiencing Art and Architecture lessons on Looking from two and uh So. In this book, the author makes a distinction between the Japanese aesthetic of MA and negative space as it's usually

understood in Western art and design. What would that difference be well, she argues that in Western art, most of the time, negative space is not taken as meaningful in itself and is not necessarily a point of focus in an artwork, but rather a way to like highlight or contextualize the figure of the artwork. The point of focus, like the characters maybe standing in the middle of the frame,

surrounded by some kind of negative space. So the in in Western art, she's saying, the figure usually has primacy, and the negative space is used to maybe make you see the figure in a certain way. However, she argues that in Japanese are the space itself can have primacy, It can in a way have its own meaning and maybe even be the point of focus or a a major point of focus uh quote. Japanese aesthetics, however, has a word for empty space ma and does not conceive

of it as in opposition to anything. On the contrary. In Japanese aesthetics, mass space allows for, and even encourages an awareness of both space and object, and suggests not only an interdependence but also a reconciliation of voids and solids.

In mass space, the boundary between form and non form is always on the verge of dissolving, and if you look at a lot of the great Japanese artworks are highlighted as examples of this esthetic of MA. One example that often gets used, and it comes up in this book itself is a sixteenth century ink on paper screen painting or or drawing called The Pine Trees Screen by Hassegawa to Haku. I see exactly what that means about.

It's not just like that there are figures in the artwork and then spaces between them, but there's a kind of like almost kind of a fluctuating in and out of existence or visibility of the figural parts and the moss space. The empty space is kind of hard to describe it. It's almost kind of like a a cloud of boundary between existing and non existing that doesn't neatly follow the outlines of the trees, say, kind of like

penetrates them in a way. Do you know what I'm saying, rob, Yeah, But a couple of other things she says that I find interesting. She argues that moss space often encourages the viewer to see the moss space in a temporal sense, meaning like you get the idea that what is empty now may once have been full and may become full again, and what is full now may become empty. And in that same way, she says that in many works of

Japanese art in architecture, moss space is understood as poignant. Uh, you know that it it in a way brings a tear to the eye. It seems to suggest thoughts about the passage of time and impermanence and the ephemerality of life and other phenomena. Yeah, it can often overflow with feelings of nostalgia as well. Um. The listener here mentions anime.

And there's actually a two thousand and two interview that Roger Ebert conducted with Hayam Miyazaki, uh, the you know, legendary Japanese animation director responsible for such films as NAUSICAA and Spirited Away. And you can find this it's on Roger ebert dot com website. But I just want to read a section from it here where they talk about this. Ebert writes, I told me a Zaki, I love the

quote unquote gratuitous motion in his films. Instead of every movement being dictated by the story, sometimes people will just sit for a moment where they will sigh, or look in a running stream, or do something extra not to advance the story. But only to give the sense of time and place and who they are. We have a word for that in Japanese, he said, it's called mom emptiness. It's there intentionally. Is that like the pillow words that

separate phrases in Japanese poetry? Ebert asks, and then Yazaki says, I don't think it's like the pillow word. He clapped his hands three or four times, and then he says, quote, the time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have NonStop action with no breathing space at all, it's just dizziness. But if you take a moment, then the tension building and the film can grow into a wider dimension. If you just have constant tension at eighty degrees all the time, you just get numb, and there's

a great deal more. It's a it's a it's a nice little interview piece. So anyway to Chuck five, Yes, thank you for suggesting this concept. I think it has lots of relevance to what we talked about in the horror Vakawee episodes. I would say it's almost kind of a full eighty degree anti horror Vakawe not only tolerance for empty space, but a kind of reveling in empty space. So when I look at this Pines artwork, the pine Tree screen, it's in the empty space where the imagination dwells.

You know, when you look at this and it kind of makes makes your your mind come to life. Your mind comes to life not by looking at the trees, but by looking at the empty spaces between them. That's where it feels like it is suggesting emotions. Yeah, it also makes me think of various lines from Corey McCarthy where we all have a bite where it will be

like he chewed quietly and thought about his life. Well, I want to say there are some some places where it will be something to that effect, Like this character stares at something and it's just and generally it's a Cormack writes that this individual is reflecting on something, but we're not like given their stream of consciousness filled. Instead, it's just all we're looking from the outside as they think, and we're not told what they think. Yeah, exactly, there's

no running into your dialogue in these particular moments. Okay. Next message, also in response to horrorv Akawy. This is from Anna and it says, Hi, Robert, Joe and j J. I've been enjoying your latest episodes on Fear of Empty Space, and I was thinking about how this relates to the power of silence. I've heard from a few different sources that silence is very powerful in getting people to tell you something that could be in political interviews or police interrogations.

If you leave a silence, people will just want to fill it and they will end up revealing something that they did not mean to. Just think about how awkward silences can be with people you don't know that well, say on a first date or something. Sometimes that silence can seem almost painful. Keep up the good work, Anna, thank you, and yeah, great point, and you're exactly right. It is an underappreciated, uh powerful dynamic in in conversation, in rhetoric to just pause and not say anything for

a while. Of course, in in rhetoric, like in speechmaking, pauses are very They can be very powerful in um, you know, sort of like increasing tension in the audience or calling attention to what you just said, making it have more gravity, or in leading up to what you're about to say either way. But yeah, the thing about the police interrogations is great too, because certainly or or like trying to interview a slippery politician. You can often get a lot out of somebody just by not saying

anything and letting them sit there in silence. Alright, This next one comes to us from Steven Steve and says, Hey, Robin Joe, I'm about a week behind in my podcast right now. Uh, yeah, that's exactly what we're talking about. Uh, it can be hard to get caught back up from the holidays. I wanted to comment on something you spoke

about in the episode Horror Back Away Part two. Rob said he wished to see monsters in the margins of Google Maps, and I'm pleased to say that for an April Fool's joke in Maps did for a short time have hidden Pokemon scattered around to find and collect. Although it isn't quite the same as Leviathan in the Ocean,

I think it has a similar vibe. Oh absolutely, I mean that there are some monster as Pokemons out there, so um, depending on what they had shuffling and sliding around in the corners of the maps, that it may have felt very appropriate. Definitely. The one I would be most afraid of is I'm told Pikachu as a baby now, and uh, Pikachu does not have a baby. There is there is a prior evolution to Pikachu called Pete. You it's not Pikachu's baby, baby Pikachu. That's just that that's dangerous.

That's like high level waste. Yeah, you have if memories are Yeah, you have Piechu Pikachu, right you. And then in a separate sort of tangent, you have Detective Pikachu. Detective Pikachu. Right yeah, yeah, Detective Pikachu. Good movie. I liked it anyway. Stephen continues, I also wanted to suggest Mosquito for Weird House Cinema. Something about black bear sized mutant mosquitos rampaging ground seems right up your alley. Thank you, guys for all the great content you make. I'm always

excited to hear your voices come across my podcast rotation. Stephen, is this the one that has Gunner Hanson in it? It is like Gunner Hanson is the most well known individual in the film. Um he has top building. Um, though, I mean, I don't know. You also have Ron Ashton in it, and um, he was a member of the Stooges.

So I guess, depending on what circle you're in Uh, you could you could make a case for him instead, But yeah, I have not seen Mosquito, though I would be hard pressed to choose between this and two thousand five man Squito when it comes to Mosquito based hard films. So I was thinking of the right movie. But before this I realized I was confused because I was mixing it up with the similar year this came out in the movie Ticks. Yes, you know Ticks. The it's got

like Seth Green and Clint Howard. Yeah, Ticks is Ticks is one we might come back to. I think we watched this back in the day for for trailer talk, and it's a it's a trashy monster movie, uh with an interesting cast. Um, it's uh, and it's gross, It's very gross. What is the premise is so weird? It's like, is it like a group of troubled teens are like loaded into a van and take into the woods for some character building. But then there are giant and ticks

that have something to do with Clint Howard out there. Yeah, he's rearing him or something. I don't remember exactly how that that works. And Rance Howard's in it as well. Of course you get where one Howard goes you make get more than one? Love a two Howard movie? Yeah at any rate, Yes, Stephen, thanks for the recommendations. All right, let's see Rob. Should I do this one from Dion? Yes, go for it, Dion says, dear Robin Joe. Congratulations to Joe on his new arrival. It's been lovely to hear

your thoughtful parenting anecdotes lately. Um, which were the thoughtful ones? I'm not sure off to review? Um? What was really interesting to hear Seth on the show. I'm also a sound designer and record enthusiasts, so I enjoyed the Seth based content. Thank you for consistently fascinating podcasts. I've just listened to the great episode about horror Akay part one. I really enjoyed all the different angles that considered an excellent listen. I can weigh in a little on the

food plating discussion. Remember we talked about uh, yeah, so we were talking about art and design and maps and stuff, but I guess also about plates like how much white space do you leave on a plate? And and uh is there more space on the plate typically in fancy restaurants? Yeah, Dion goes on I was a chef in all kinds of restaurants for fifteen years. The quote closed white space taboo in newspapers isn't specifically a thing for plated food.

The equivalent, no, no would be the rim of a plate, which should be kept clean and clear in almost all circumstances. I'm talking about classic twelve inch white plates with a nice wide rim. Some restaurants have more bespoke and even colored plates more recently, but in my mind, at least, the white plate remains the classic choice. You'll find more amateur chefs will have an instinctive fear of the void, and will often do things like scatter cracked pepper around

the rim of the plate for decorationation. In practice, violating the white frame seldom works. It's one of those rules that should only be broken thoughtfully, deliberately, and by experts. A little more about plating. The trend in the nineties was for altitude, great towering things that would be virtually impossible for the white staff to deliver to the table intact. I've heard this discussed as a reaction to the seventies flat presentation, shunning the old flat and rural and embracing

the modern urban environment of the skyscraper. This presentation leaves a lot of white space on a large plate which would usually be sparsely decorated, drawing focus to the centerpiece. As you have discussed again, current trends are a little more diverse, but this presentation is still with us. Dion, that is really funny about the chefs having an aversion to putting stuff on the rim of the plate. I

have a specific memory. I don't know what this is from, but of like a a gift of like, uh, because Gordon Ramsey just like blowing parsley off the rim of a plate he was handed. That's kind of rude, but okay, yeah, well, I mean that was kind of his his whole gimmick for a long time. I'm a jerk. Yeah, um that that the altitude thing. I know, this was something that I think some stand up comedians had a lot of

fun with. But I think that you know, if it's if it's the right dish, it can still be pretty fun to have your I don't know, your your tuna slices forming a little tower at the center of the plate. That kind of thing. As long as it's not too precarious, go for it. I agree. I think it depends on

what kind of food item it is. Like, I think altitude is fun on a plate if it's also uh fun and still appetizing once you demolish it, you know, is it like fun to take apart and demolish and then eat or does the altitude just make it kind of cumbersome? M yeah, it's kind of And I guess sometimes it's it's a real trade off because take the stuffed bell pepper versus just having the bell pepper chopped

up in whatever would go in stuffing. You know, like the clearly the stuff bell pepper is a great presentation, but the experience of eating it can sometimes feel a little lackluster when you're sitting there carving up your your bell pepper and then combining that with whatever was stuffed inside, and then you run out of the stuff inside the bell pepper before you finish off the rest of the pepper. I don't know, maybe I'm the only one who has

this this experience. No, I think you're right. I'm also I'm thinking of examples where you know, there's there's some piled high food that really sort of defeats the purpose of the food I'm thinking about your classic example nachos. Okay, you see nachos piled really high. What's gonna be the deal with the nachos on the bottom of that pile?

Nothing on them or they're super soggy. I think the best nachos are a very flat, even layer, because then it's all you know, every chip is great, yeah, absolutely yeah. Otherwise yeah, you're just gonna get just plain chips down there at the bottom. Okay, anyway, coming back, uh Dion says on a complete tangent, you might enjoy this Skippy the Bush Kangaroo trailer that I neglected to send after the Whistling episodes. Remember we did a series on whistling

earlier last year. I don't know if this ever got popular beyond our shores, but all Australians of a certain vintage have it baked into their d NA. These were simpler times when we only had four free to air channels. There's always a eucalypt close by over here, but not necessarily a kangaroo, and I think every kid fantasized that they could grab a leaf and call for Skippy. Actually, I'm fairly sure that leaves are too thick for it

to actually work as a whistle. You can make a sort of hand kazoo with a blade of grass held between your thumbs. However, again, thank you for all you do. Warm regards, Dion ps. I don't think kangaroos can throw things with their hands, but maybe they could kick up dust with their tail ausee style. Um. I've never heard of Skippy the Kangaroo here, but I was looking at the trailer and yeah, it looks like a lot of fun.

I love. I love hearing from folks in different countries or different reach and where they had a particular show that was just a part of everyone's childhood there that maybe didn't travel as far, you know, Like I'm reminded of like a British variant being things like a Stick of the Dump hearing people talk about watching Stick of the Dump when there a kid, which is about a if memory served a children's show about a boy who be friends a caveman living in the local dump. Uh,

you know, things like that. They just we did not have that here, so it wasn't a part of our childhood. Likewise, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. The one I'm really envious of is the spirit of Dark and Lonely Water. I know that's not a show, but that Donald Pleasants, the the Jenny Green Teeth Pools, that's just good. Yes, you know one thing we did so. I was also not familiar

with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. But I recall when I was a child, like in the late eighties early nineties, I feel like there was just a glut of Australian themed US media, And I don't know if any of it was actually Australian in origin, or if that was just a time like a lot of especially children's oriented media where just got really into the idea of Australia. Like I think there were two different children's cartoons that were about like a child who befriends magic koala bears. Well,

you know koalas are adorable, so that makes sense. But do you think was this around the time of crocodile Dundee. Do you think it was part of the whole crocodile dundee craze that that took off in the States. Possibly, I don't know, Uh what I just looked at. I remembered one of them is called news Ales, and I just looked it up, and this is actually a cartoon of Japanese origin that has Australian themes and aired in the United States on Nickelodeon. Interesting, and I'm not familiar

with that one. Alright, We'll close it out here with one Weird House Cinema message. This one comes to us from Karen Karen Rides, Robert and Joe. I've enjoyed your podcast for years, and although I listened to Weird House Cinema every Friday, I rarely watched the films you review. Your descriptions and banter are usually entertaining enough, and even considering that Forbidden Planet is still one of my favorite movies, I've largely lost my taste for horror and sci fi schlock.

As I near seventy. This week was an exception. My husband and I signed up for a trial subscription to the Criterion Channel so we could stream Invention for Destruction, and what a treat. It was everything you promised and then some. You were right in that it was impossible to accurately describe the art. It was visually stunning and oh the lines. Thank you so much for this recommendation

and for continuing to provide interesting and entertaining content. You're both skilled science communicators, knowledgeable and loads of fun to listen to to best Karen, Oh well that's too nice, Karen, But thank you then, thanks for the message, glad that you loved Invention for Destruction as we did. Yeah, yeah, it's it's it's a lot of fun. All right, We're

gonna go and close it up there. But yeah, as always, we'd love to hear from everyone out there, if you have thoughts on recent episodes, old episodes, current episodes, upcoming episodes of the core podcast of Weird House Cinema, of the Monster Fact, or just things that thoughts and comments that are kicking around and listener mail. Yeah right in, we'd love to hear from you. Just a reminder that our core episodes of Stuff to Blow your Mind published

on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Monday's we do listener mail, on Wednesday's we do a short form artifactor Monster Fact, and on Friday we do Weird House Cinema. Again. That's our time to set aside most serious concerns and just talk about a weird film. Oh and hey, reminder, one more time, check and make sure that every new episode of our show is auto downloading in your feed it's possible your podcast platform of choice may have turned off auto downloads and you might need to go back and

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