One of the most recognized tales in American folklore has Mississippi roots. The story has many names, including “The Delta Legend,” “The Deal with the Devil,” and “The Deal at the Crossroads,” among others. Yet each tells a similar story that centers on a midnight meeting between a frustrated guitarist and Satan himselfScholars disagree over the origins of the Crossroads myth. Some maintain that the story originated in Africa, with Satan representing an African trickster deity such as the Dahomean Legba or Yoruba Eshu. This interpretation places the tale in a broader cultural context and elevates the musician to spiritual status. Other folklorists argue that the tale possesses many Western elements and reflects slavery’s impact on African American life. Regardless of its precise origins, the myth has become most associated with early twentieth-century bluesman Robert Johnson.But take the bluesman and the Mississippi Delta out of the story, and you’re left with a familiar and repeating myth that has echoed throughout modern human history… drawing its closest western parallel to the German myth about Faust… who is a highly successful man yet is dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The Faust legend has been the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical works that have recycled and reinterpreted the basic story through the ages. "Faust" and the adjective "Faustian" imply sacrificing spiritual values for power, knowledge, or material gain.  But if you take another step back, you can see that all these Faustian myths share similar structure with the Theophilus legend, recorded in the 13th century, in which a saintly figure makes a bargain with the keeper of the infernal world, but is rescued from paying his debt to society through the mercy of the Blessed Virgin… which itself can be traced back to Saint Theophilus the Penitent or Theophilus of Adana, who was a cleric in the sixth century Church and is said to have made a deal with the Devil to gain an ecclesiastical position.   His story is significant as it is one of the oldest popular stories of a pact with the devil and was an inspiration for the Thelphilus legend, which inspired Faust legend… which in turn may have inspired the crossroads myth of the Mississippi Delta and cemented the legacy of one Robert Johnson.Except… this explanation of western religion says nothing about the similarities existing for centuries within the previously mentioned myths stemming from African folklore... Could it be that 6th Century historians simply appropriated this piece of African cultural heritage?  It wouldn’t be the first time… or perhaps we’re digging too deep and the answer is something simpler… something more… sinister… the Devil is in the details… and perhaps we’ve been witness to the same story, the same Satan, playing the same con on unwitting men throughout all of recorded history… This is… The Man in the Black Suit… by Stephen King...INTRODUCTION AND NARRATION BY: Eric R Hill

STORIES TELLING STORIES

SPOOKTOBER 2021 ep3: "The Man in the Black Suit" by Stephen King

Hello friends… this is THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK… a product of Confectionary Industries Association… I am your neurological spirit guide on this trip through your DIGESTIVE SYSTEM... you didn’t think this was a FOOD RELATED HUMOR did you?  That’s funny…STS SPOOKTOBER is brought to you by THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK, which is produced in collaboration with Stories Telling Stories and STS Media Group… Killing you softly at Mitlhouse Studios in Milton, Vermont… Casting around the globe to your frontal lobe wherever podcasts are found… SPOOKTOBER is also streaming on YouTube @ StoriesTellingStories.  Make sure to give us a review wherever you stream our show, we really appreciate it!  Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, give us a subscribe on YouTube, and consider supporting us on Patreon for exclusive rewards starting at $1 a month or more!

THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK presents "Spooktober 2021 episode 2"

There’s something about the sublimely simple and otherwise benign that can become especially terrifying when things go “bump” in the night… evil personified inside an ordinary object… like the haunted doll… a tawdry trope of tales that no longer thrill?  Or perhaps a fear we would rather not address as those dull eyes watch us from across the room… unblinking… unchanging… waiting for the right moment to come alive and start the hunt…  This is “PREY” by Richard Matheson… on STS SPOOKTOBER.Narration and Dramatic Reading by ERIC R. HILL

SPOOKTOBER 2021 ep1: "Prey" by Richard Matheson

The epic conclusion of our 3-part series covering the narrative of the groundbreaking walking simulator game DEAR ESTHER, which ties together the surprisingly short third level "THE CAVES" with the heart-wrenching ending of the fourth and final level, "THE BEACON."Voice Acting by Eric R. Hill

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep 28 | Dear Esther Lv III "The Caves" & Lv IV "The Beacon"

I will carry a torch for you... Level 2 of the 3-part series covering the story of pioneering "walking simulator" DEAR ESTHER by The Chinese Room... diving deep into the depths of human sadness, loss, grief, and mourning on our path towards transcendence... Support the series on Patreon (below) and help make more episodes like this possible SOCIALS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoriesTellingStories/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiestellingstories/Patreon:  https://www.patreon.com/StoriesTellingStories

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep 27 | Dear Esther ch 2: "The Buoy"

The first chapter of the groundbreaking walking simulator by THE CHINESE ROOM, "Dear Esther" tells a haunting tale of solitude, isolation, and a descent into madness on a lonely Scottish island...

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep 26 | Dear Esther ch 1: "The Lighthouse"

We at CONSOLIDATED INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION are against our listeners asking questions.  Questions are not necessary, because there is nothing you need to know that we won't tell you.  You are safe.  You are happy.  But we have to ask... where did you learn to fly?THE TRANQUILITY NETWORK and STORIES TELLING STORIES are wholly-owned subsidiaries of C.I.A - - Consolidated Industries Association… to better bring our vision of a better world, the only world, our world, directly to our listeners… *****SOCIALS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoriesTellingStories/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storiestellingstories/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/StoriesTellingStories

The Tranquility Network ep2 "Where Did You Learn to Fly?"

We at Consolidated Industries would just like to remind you that this is all you are… everything contained within this one reality… We are not to speak of what may lie beyond, because there is nothing… no worries… no troubles… just a singular dimension, keeping us safe… you are safe here… we love you… Don’t forget to breathe…

The Tranquility Network ep1 "Don't Forget to Breathe..."

STS as a whole is a scripted, narrative podcast. I rarely stray off the rails for any given piece of content, preferring instead to draft a script and make it sound as natural as I can. This segment here, for context, is scripted. I am reading it to you now. But only as a formality. Between here and the ending spiel, this is going to be totally unscripted. I’m going to shoot from the hip. Speak from the heart. Let the consciousness stream. And it’s probably going to suck… for me… who has to do a heck of a lot more editing to make up for it…

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep25: "One Year of Lockdown" an unscripted look back

It's Paddy's Day 2021 so on the day where everyone is a little bit Irish, we share a more modern take on the classic Irish folktale, to celebrate the launch of Season 2 of LOCKED IN A VACANCY. This is "Billy Duffy & The Devil" by P.H. EMERSON. I'd like to give a MASSIVE shoutout to the following people for supporting STORIES TELLING STORIES on Patreon... JIM ROSS HOLLY TAMARA TOM MADDY WALTER and HEATHER LOCKED IN A VACANCY is produced in collaboration with Stories Telling Stories and STS Media Group… Socially Isolating itself at Mitlhouse Studios in Milton, Vermont… Casting around the globe to your frontal lobe wherever podcasts are found… LOCKED IN A VACANCY is also streaming on YouTube @ StoriesTellingStories. Make sure to give us a review wherever you stream our show, we really appreciate it! Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, give us a subscribe on YouTube, and consider supporting us on Patreon for $1 a month or more! And until next time... Stay sane, stay safe, and stay Whimsical!

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep24: "Billy Duffy & The Devil" Paddy's Day 2021

This is not how this new series was supposed to begin. But I couldn’t think of any other way to present it. A WRITER WRITES is the result of conversations I had with my biggest fan and most ardent supporter around the time of her 58th birthday. She was my proofreader and my sounding board, helping me to process and streamline thoughts that often came out as an avalanche of ideas. She was a writer in her own right, penning poems, novels, short stories, songs, and scripts that made it to the eyes of very few outside a select circle of family and friends. But most importantly, aside from being a muse and a constant source of encouragement, she was also my mother, and we lost her to cancer on January 23, 2021. A WRITER WRITES is intended to be a conversation series where we discuss the craft of writing with the authors themselves. But in this instance we have to make do without that direct insight. I wish I had gotten the chance to document one of our countless conversations around writing but I never did. So here are her words, and words of remembrance as we process the loss of an incredible artistic soul… told in guest voices new and familiar to Stories Telling Stories, sharing in the compassion, admiration, and love that Carrie dedicated her life to putting out into the world… SPECIAL THANKS TO Michelle Sawyer Harker Ryan Melanie Malbouef Sarah Venooker Angela Johnson Diane Jennings

A WRITER WRITES | ep1: C. Lee Baker - An Introduction & Memoriam

As is tradition, STS kicks off its latest season (Season 4) with an episode pulled from Danny DeVito's black comedy "Throw Momma From The Train." This is "Hot Fire" by Professor Larry Donner. Coming up in Season 4 we’re going to continue our LOCKED IN A VACANCY series, telling stories of solitude and isolation as the pandemic continues to lock down the planet. We’ve also got a new series starting up called “A Writer Writes” that’s… supposedly… hosted by Professor Donner, where we sit down with up-and-coming and amateur writers to talk about their craft and share some of their stories… like a podcast version of Professor Donnor’s creative writing class. And we’ve got a mountain of classic STS pop culture stories from TV, Movies, Video Games, and books to get to, so you’ve got plenty to look forward to. As always, if you’d like to support the show we’ve got a Patreon page with early access materials, behind-the-scenes snippets from the mind of the producer, and more, starting at $1 a month or more. We’ve also got a Facebook and Instagram page if you’re into that sort of stuff. I know Season 3 didn’t end as intended but life sort-of got in the way and family has to come first. I hope you’re excited for everything we’ve got in store for 2021. And until next time… Stay sane… stay safe… and Stay Whimsical!

STS-401: "Hot Fire" by Professor Donner (Throw Momma from the Train)

My mother has been moved to hospice care to spend her remaining days. I've been spending as much time with her as I can. I decided to read her stories and share it over livestream. This is "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote. It's been a difficult few weeks but we're doing the best we can as a family right now. After discovering that the hospice house has really good internet speeds I decided to try livestreaming last week. For my test, I did a reading of "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote. For those of you that don't know, I played Truman a few Septembers back in the one-man show "TRU" and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I picked up a first-edition of this book to use as a prop on stage but I never properly read it... just the bits that made it into the dialogue for the show. But even though it's been a few years, from the start to the end of the read, you can hear me slipping into a lighter version of my TRU accent. Anyway, I can't necessarily say there will be more of these, but if time and energy allow I may see about doing a few more. The musical season finale is currently up in the air, but I'm giving myself between now and new years to see if I can pull it off. But I'm not putting pressure on myself to make sure it's done. Sending my love and best holiday spirits to you and yours as we close in on Christmas and New Years. 2020 was a hell of a year... let's hope 2021 brings us brighter days.

STS-307: A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote | Holiday in Hospice 2020

“This week on LOCKED IN A VACANCY we’re celebrating a milestone… having hit 25k downloads for the STORIES TELLING STORIES podcast! It may seem like an unusual metric to celebrate, as most social media looks for nice, round numbers to mark as milestones… but 25 is my lucky number and we’re going to make it count. In celebration of the occasion, I’ve got a special guest joining us this episode… She’s an actor, television presenter, content creator, dog mom, and Professional YouTuber with over 140k subscribers and counting. Her content runs the gamut from the weird to the wonderful and I’ve had the absolute pleasure getting to know her over the past few years. From Dublin, Ireland, please welcome “certified lovely human” Diane Jennings!” Diane and I sit down over the course of an hour for an unscripted chat; asking questions and sharing our personal stories about acting, content creation, comparing and contrasting our different processes and methods, the struggles we’ve faced as fairly introverted people during lockdown and our pandemic experiences as a whole. This episode captures just a small fraction of our conversation which may be released down the road as a Patron-exclusive reward. And after our chat, Diane and I act out a dramatic reading of THE LANDLADY by Roald Dahl. I’d like to give a massive shout-out to the following people for supporting STORIES TELLING STORIES on Patreon… Jim Ross Holly Tamara Tom Maddy Thank you so much for your support! If you’d like to help support the show and hear your name listed before future episodes, head on over to Patreon.com/StoriesTellingStories I Don't See the Branches, I See the Leaves by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

STS 25K SPECIAL with Diane Jennings

As of release, today is Thursday, November 12, 2020. It is notable for being the birthday of a relative and patron of the podcast so I am wishing you a wonderful one, Holly, and I hope that despite 2020 being how 2020 is, that you are able to enjoy it wholeheartedly as you enter your third decade on this Earth. You deserve it! Looking around at the very real prospect of a “third wave” taking hold across America and across the world, we sit here still, locked in a vacancy, wondering if and when it will ever get back to normal… but until people start taking personal responsibility for themselves and those around them we’re still a long way off… and it’s looking like it’s going to be a cold, dark, lonely winter… We tend to focus on older works on this series, due primarily to logistics, and legality when it comes to sharing works. Today, we’re taking a look at a piece by a relatively new and fresh-faced author, in the grand scheme of things. Andy Weir is best known for his novel “The Martian” that was made into a Matt Damon-led Blockbuster directed by Ridley Scott but he’s far from being a one-trick pony. Perhaps his best-known work is the subject of today’s reading… a short story called “The Egg” that has to date been translated into over 30 different languages and presented in various forms across all sorts of media. The Egg tells the story of a man who dies rather suddenly and is brought face-to-face with God; taking the opportunity to glean the answers to life’s biggest questions. And given the state of the world right now, we at STS decided to offer our listeners a nice egg in these trying times… This is… THE EGG by Andy Weir… on LOCKED IN A VACANCY... I’d like to give a massive shout-out to the following people for supporting STORIES TELLING STORIES on Patreon… Jim Ross Holly Tamara Tom Maddy Carrie Thank you so much for your support! If you’d like to help support the show and hear your name listed before future episodes, head on over to Patreon.com/StoriesTellingStories

LOCKED IN A VACANCY ep23: "A Nice EGG in these trying times"

STORIES TELLING STORIES is a podcast dedicated to exploring pop culture's unfinished stories

hubhopper

STORIES TELLING STORIES

hubhopper