Breakfast in the Ruins
Friends old and new join me in Derry and Toms roof gardens to discuss the work and influence of prolific British fantasist Michael Moorcock, as well as other bits of 60s and 70s genre fiction that came to me via my Grandad in the 80s and informed my world view. Books, music, role-playing games, wrestling in Featherstone Library and many other digressions await.
Episodes
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
The Weird of the White Wolf
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Tuesday Mar 19, 2024
Loz returns to Derry & Toms to talk about the remaining tales we haven't covered that complete Michael Moorcock's The Weird of the White Wolf.
Elric tests some early chat-up lines in While the Gods Laugh, Moonglum finally shows up in The Singing Citadel and Loz bares all (though not his nipple) in a grievance-filled tirade against neopolitan ice cream.
JOIN US!
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
New Edges For Old Heroes w/ Oliver Brackenbury
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Tuesday Feb 27, 2024
Oliver Brackenbury returns to Derry & Toms to talk about the next phase of his excellent mag New Edge Sword and Sorcery. Moorcock talk, uncovering and unleashing a golden age hero anew and copious amounts of caffeine and lemsip dominate.
JOIN US.
Be sure to check out the Backerkit link for New Edge Sword and Sorcery issues 3 and 4 and Oliver's podcast So I'm Writing a Novel...
The conversation about The Dreaming City and The Folk of the Forest is on Youtube
Also check out Dan Charnley's podcast, Dan Rambles and the Preston Speculative Fiction Group's interview with MM
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Options (Robert Sheckley)
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Tuesday Feb 20, 2024
Derek AKA Imrryr returns to Derry and Toms to talk about fellow New Yorker Robert Sheckley, the late master of SF satire and absurdist parables, and his rather unusual and wigged-out 1975 opus... Options.
Spoiler... it's out there... AND I LOVE IT!
All of the Imrryr catalogue is available via Bandcamp, including merch, and when I get the links for the upcoming physical releases I'll add them here.
Monday Jan 29, 2024
The Time of the Hawklords
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
So it turns out there's a 'Britain is Fucked' novel about Hawkwind tonning around in a van fighting ghosts and squares with guns that shoot their music AND that happens to feature Moorcock as a tertiary character with a saucy house computer.
WHO KNEW???
Well, some of you did obviously... but I didn't until my mate Yarks sent me a copy for my birthday a few years ago. It turns out that I was dimly aware of author Michael Butterworth at the time as I'd had some of his Space 1999 novelisations on my shelf for f'n years without realising that he was one of the dudes behind Savoy Books and appears to be a really cool cat.
So who better to drop by Derry and Toms to talk about it than Joe Banks, author of Hawkwind: Days of the Underground: Radical Escapism in the Age of Paranoia?
Nobody. Nobody better.
JOIN US!
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Snowcastles - A (Belated) One-Shit Book for Xmas
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Clarky the Cruel returns to Derry and Toms to revive the One-Shit Book (books that could potentially be read on one visit to the throne) format as we look at SNOWCASTLES by Duncan McGeary.
We consider wizard contracting standards, when barbarians aren't barbarians and just what the hell is under Greylock's fur...? We don't read the sequel but we do wonder why those people look like they're out of a 1970s public information film for children.
Check out Clarky's blog for updates on his various gaming and reading activities, as well as an end-of-year review and his plans for 2024. Visit the Duncan McGeary webpage for details of his more recent novels and short stories and his author's blog.
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Birthday Special 2023 - w/ Joe Monti of Saga Press
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Monday Dec 18, 2023
In this Birthday Special double-bill of salutations, Joe Monti (editorial Director at SAGA Press) drops by D&Ts to engage in day-drinking, Moorcock talk and chew the fat about editing amazing fantasy and various other bits n' bobs. Also, Joe gets Crabs.
Then Phil and Loz join me for a serious* roundtable. Whilst we drink mucky booze and engage in a hastily and lazily bashed together but closely contested Moorcock-related quiz, Phil disses my gourd, Loz dumps on steampunk and a particularly challenging beer punches us in the temple (thanks Ash).
*not that serious
Quiz Beer slate:
· Gravity Well – Photonic Molecules Pale Ale 4.6%
· Overtone Brewing Co King of Feasts Pale Ale 4%
· Twilight Pilgrim Pumpkin Spice Latte Stout 5.0%
· Emperor’s Brewery Kessel Run Peanut Butter Jelly Imperial Stout/Porter 13.1%
· Brasserie de Noir Bere Speciale cuvee exceptionale Rhum finish 5.5%
· Snake Bite in a can from Aldi the name of which I think I may have suppressed because it was just that ‘orrible
Michael Moorcock chorus/refrain is from The Dewey Decibel System by BlöödHag
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
The Queen of the Swords Part Two
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Simon Perrins (artist, graphic designer and co-host of Can I Pod With Madness) returns to Derry and Toms so we can finally conclude our re-read of the second Corum adventure, The Queen of the Swords.
Between wading gods, crackles from beyond the veil and other interventions from the old gods of chaos, we managed to get through books two and three of this adventure intact. So join us for small talk about Moorcock, fighting fantasy books, Loz's Lovecraft formula and our favourite close-harmony choir of chaos oddballs...
The artist whose name we couldn't remember, responsible for the Berkley edition covers as above, is David McCall Johnston.
Simon is, of course, the geezer behind the visual identity of BITR too. Find him on Instagram and check out his store.
Also, have a look at Karmanal of Zert by Blaze Atoms - Here's some info from their bandcamp page (sadly I can't find any evidence of their "Swords & Space Wizards" demo - if you know of it... LET ME KNOW):
"This is an instrumental, almost completely mixed preview of the version of "Karmanal of Zert" that will appear on the upcoming "Swords & Space Wizards" demo in early May 2016. This recording is completely unadvertised and uploaded solely so Michael Moorcock himself can hear it. So if you found it, good job. :)
lyrics
all music conceived, composed and arranged by Aaron DiDonatoall guitar, bass, and drums performed and recorded by Aaron DiDonatolyrics (when vocals are added) adapted from the chapter "The Frozen Army" in the book "The Queen of the Swords" by Michael Moorcock (1971)Looming in the distanceOver the valley now, come the hopping thingsBouncing, several-legged creaturesMultiversal nomads, indestructible beingsKnowing not of mortalityPledging no allegiance to Law or ChaosKnowing not true existenceHaving no soulsThe Karmanal of Zert are comingThe Karmanal of Zert, yeah, are coming for youThe Karmanal of Zert are comingHere they come - look up and seeThey lope down the slopes of the hillsSeeking the Champion Eternal they’ve been sent to kill – to killAltering the fates of untold civilizationsOn untold planes of existence – parallel dimensions of the EarthMassive fangs clash, huge eyes rollMany tentacles lash, fighting for Cosmic controlDoing the bidding of the Chaos LordsWhile in another time and plane they are fighting for LawFighting for no purpose, no sought-after endFighting indifferent to consequenceThe Karmanal of Zert always sing before they feast – alwaysThe Karmanal of Zert always sing before they feast – hear them singMaimSlayFeastThe Queen of the Chaos Swords’ laughter fills the skyMaimSlayFeastThe Queen of the Chaos Swords’ laughter fills the skyAs the Eternal Champion prepares to diePrepare to dieHear the Karmanal of Zert singHear them, hear them (repeat)Hear them, hear the Karmanal of Zert sing"
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Memoriam & Other Realms of Chaos with Karl Willetts
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Power up your voxcaster, recite a litany of protection and light a lho stick as beer lover, wargamer and death metal LEGEND Karl Willetts braves the Immaterium to warp over to Derry and Toms and discuss Memoriam, Bolt Thrower, Warhammer and his three rules of beer…
Memoriam's latest release is Rise to Power and it and their back catalogue are available at all good stockists.
I also wistfully recall my first exposure to Bolt Thrower with the epic and massive game changer for British metal... Realm of Chaos
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Halloween Special 2023 - James Herbert’s DOMAIN
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Friday Oct 27, 2023
Miles and Phil brave nuclear Armageddon, mutant rats, zoom meltdowns and horrific rabies treatment to join me in Derry & Toms and check out our patron-selected Halloween double-bill of James Herbert's Domain and Bruno Mattei's Rats: Night of Terror.So paint your windows white, lock the dogs and cats outside, get safely ensconced in your inner sanctum and JOIN US!
... and listen to the Casual Trek Podcast
Friday Oct 20, 2023
The Legacy of Guy N Smith - a Conversation with Tara Paulsson
Friday Oct 20, 2023
Friday Oct 20, 2023
In this, the second blow of that one-two punch of GNS brain matter, Graham and I welcome Tara Paulsson to Derry and Toms to talk about her Dad and his work.
Tara will be at Tamworth Castle's Tales From the Darkside Week on Saturday 28th October and you can find details about 'An Ode to Guy Newman Smith's, 1970's Pulp Fiction Horror' and how to book at www.tamworthcastle.co.uk/darkside
You can find all of Tara's GNS content on Instagram, Youtube and soon the official website will be back up at http://www.guynsmith.com.
To get on the mailing list for the newsletter, email Tara at blackhillbooks@gmail.com
You can find Bamboo Guerillas on Spotify and Bandcamp and follow them on Instagram and TikTok

Breakfast in the Ruins
It had been a few years since I tried anything new hobby-wise and particularly anything t’interweb related beyond twitter and generally using it for all of the general reasons we use it (gifs, cat pics, buying things I don’t need etc).
However in recent years, whilst doing lengthy commutes, I found that podcasts had moved on somewhat from the type I’d been exposed to previously, with less of the ‘yuck yuck’ interactions between podcast hosts that felt the need to be artificially heightened, and more of a naturalistic and joyous approach to a specific subject matter that drew me in to feel part of the conversation.
Combined with this new found interest I’ve been needing a hobby and outlet for my creative energies, such that they are.
A few years back, for similar reasons, I started a blog (mentallicohullic.com), where I was able to have a good rant, but also link to the online articles I’d written for thequietus.com. I didn’t really keep that up with any regularity though, so it fell by the wayside, although it is still live.
Anyway, it struck me a while later that a sudden upsurge in interest amongst my friends in fantasy fiction, and particularly Michael Moorcock, had generated a number of conversations that I really enjoyed participating in. We were also having particular discussions about how to best model Moorcock in a table top role playing game. One night I started typing up some thoughts regarding my approach to it and, reading it back, it was written in a conversational style and for a split second the idea of a podcast themed around Michael Moorcock’s books and other associated art seemed appealing. A few sherries later I’d ordered a USB audio hub and a condenser microphone and the next day recorded a five minute podcast introduction as a proof of concept. I shared it with some like-minded friends and, following feedback, decided to give it a whirl.
Michael Moorcock as a subject seemed the natural choice, for reasons that may become apparent during the introductory episode. As you'll see as the show progresses, there's a reason why I call it 'Moorcock flavoured'.