Weird Studies

It was with heavy hearts that Phil and JF learned of Gordon White's passing. Gordon was a force to be reckoned with: as an author and podcaster on all things occult, he offered unique perspectives and provocative interpretations at every turn. In this episode, your hosts discuss Gordon's thoughts on divination—or fortune-telling, as he preferred to call it... Click here to purchase tickets to the 2026 edition of the Lily Dale Symposium (July 23-25), organized by Shannon Taggart and closing this year with a live recording of Weird Studies. References Rune Soup Fortune’s Fools Oracle Deck Duns Scotus, Scottish priest Marshall Sahlins, The New Science of the Enchanted Universe Henri Bergson, Time and Free Will Ithell Colquhoun, Taro as Colour Lord Dunsany, The Gods of Pegana Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Manning's 2018 graphic novel Eric is that rarest of gems: the self-published masterpiece. Available only on the author's website, it's the story of a washed-up surf rocker who stumbles into a cosmic conspiracy involving elite cultists, post-apocalyptic cowboys, renegade magicians, and three-eyed djinn. In this episode, Manning's work serves as a shining example of what makes comics such a unique and potent art form. There's no need to have read the book before listening—but know that you'll probably want to do when you're done. You're welcome. Visit the Weirdosphere website to sign up for the Weird Studies Vol. 3 listening party on May 30, 2026. Join the Weird Studies Patreon and support the show. References Tom Manning, ERIC Leslie Stevens, “So So Surreal” “Beach Bum #1” Mike Relm, “Change the Channel” Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, What is Philosophy? Sarah Heston, “Magical Los Angeles: An Interview with Tom Manning” Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics David Mamet, On Directing Film Richard J. Lewis (dir.), Whale Music Joel and Ethan Coen, The Big Lebowski Darren Aronovsky (dir.), The Wrestler Jorge Luis Borges, “The Garden of Forking Paths”  Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time  Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea Jean-Paul Sartre, The Transcendence of the Ego David Lynch, Twin Peaks: The Return Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pianist, composer and sound artist Glenn Gould once wrote: "Art on its loftiest mission is scarcely human at all." What becomes of art and humanity when they are allowed to vary independently of one another? Which serves which, and to what end? In this episode, JF and Phil discuss Glenn Gould's style and vision of music through the lens of François Girard's memorable 1993 film, Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. For details on the upcoming Weird Studies Volume 3 listening party, and to register for the event, go to the event page on the Weirdosphere website. The album will be released on May 22, 2026, on Pierre-Yves Martel's Bandcamp page. ⁠Click here⁠ to support Weird Studies on Patreon. REFERENCES Francois Girard (dir.), Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould Rob Reiner, This is Spinal Tap Weird Studies, Episode 31 on Gould’s “Prospects of Recording”  "The Shining Recut" "Glenn Gould Interviews Glenn Gould About Glenn Gould" Phil Ford, Dig: Sound and Music in Hip Culture Glenn Gould, "The Idea of North" Weird Studies, Episode 124 with Duncan Barford Francois Girard, Production of Wagner’s Parsifal Richard Wagner, Parsifal (clip from performance conducted by Reginald Goodall)  Spear of Longinus Header image by Ana Pismel, via Wikimedia Commons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Phil and JF discuss Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shining. That they are doing this eight years after starting the podcast is weird in itself, so fundamental is Kubrick's "chamber epic" to the modern weird in general, and the hosts' specific interests in particular. Well, as the Overlook Hotel's former caretaker Delbert Grady might put it, consider the situation corrrrected. Visit Weirdosphere to enroll in JF's upcoming course on Deleuzian philosophy, starting May 7 2026. Support Weird Studies on Patreon Interstitial Music: "Corridors" from Pierre-Yves Martel's Weird Studies Volume 2. REFERENCES Stanley Kubrick, The Shining Jan Harlan, A Life in Pictures Stanely Kubruck, Killer’s Kiss Alberto Giacometti, “The Palace at 4am” Gilles Deleuze, What is Philosophy? Reyner Banham, “The New Brutalism” Mark Fisher, The Weird and the Eerie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We regret that we were unable to release a new episode this week. Episode 211 will drop on Wednesday, April 29, and will be devoted to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, a film we have long wanted to revisit in depth. In the meantime, we are pleased to offer Phil’s spirited reading of M. C. Richards’ essay “Wrestling with the Daimonic,” discussed in our previous episode and available only to Patreon members until now. This recording is shared with kind permission from Wesleyan University Press. Visit their website for details on The Crossing Point and other works by M.C. Richards. To support Weird Studies and get access to exclusive essays and bonus episodes, visit our Patreon page. And go to Weirdosphere to learn more about JF's upcoming course on Deleuzian philosophy, which starts on May 7th, 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices