Max Evry is here. Max is the author of a fantastic new book called A Masterpiece in Disarray, the oral history of David Lynch’s Dune. Those of you who have seen the Denis Villeneuve version may only be dimly aware of the David Lynch’s Dune. It was only his third film, and it’s the only film of his that he claims not to love in some form or another. David Lynch’s Dune was, at its time, the most expensive science fiction film Universal had ever made. It starred an unknown actor named Kyle MacLaughlin and the guy who had only directed two film and one of them was Eraserhead. If you don’t think that’s going to be an interesting story, I can’t help you.

Christina Ward, like Max, is a pal o’ mine. She is the Vice President and Editor at Feral House Publishing, and she has written a book called Holy Food: How Cults, Communes and Religious Movements Influence What We Eat. I learned a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t know including, what major religion used to suggest that after someone died, it was a good idea to eat cake off their corpse.

True Tales From Weirdsville tells the stranger than fiction tale of California’s weird association with religious cults, focusing on two strange organizations that were both HUGELY popular, that both started out with seemingly good intentions, and how, one, specifically, went VERY off the rails. This is the tale of Aimee Semple Mcpherson’s Four Square Gospel Church, and Charles Dederich’s Synanon. You won’t believe your ears!

We have our usual stellar line up to get the season off to, in this case, a rockin’ good start. 

Our old friend Greg Proops is back! Greg has a new album out called French Drug Deal. He is also in a new film called First Time Caller. He’s out on the road with Who’s Line Is It Anyway and is getting ready to record the follow up to French drug Deal AND, greg is going to tell us all about what it is like to perform the Nightmare Before Christmas LIVE concerts, which he does, and about which I am so jealous. 

Also, Leland Sklar is with us. If you own a radio, you have heard Leland’s work. Leland is one of the preeminent session musicians on Los Angeles a bass player of world renown. To let you know how long Leland has been making music, he tells a story in the interview where he was doing a session with another guitarist, and that guitarist was just forming a new band, but was unsure what to call it so he asked Leland, “I don’t know, do you think The Eagles is a good name?” 

Leland can be seen in a new documentary by Denny Tedesco, who made the documentary The Wrecking Crew. This new film is called The Immediate Family and it is available now to stream, and I can’t recommend it strongly enough. And we will be hearing all about it, in today’s episode. 

True Tales From Weirdsville goes deep on of my favorite musicians who is also tangentially featured in Immediate family, Warren Zevon. That story is stranger than fiction.

This is our annual holiday spectacular, with great guests, True Tales From Weirdsville and, of course, hours and hours of Christmas songs and holiday games. Not really. 

Kliph Nesteroff is here. Kliph is a fantastic writer who has been here before discussing his books, The Comedians and We Had A Little Real Estate Problem. He is here to talk about his spectacular and, in my opinion, mandatory reading new book, Outrageous, A History Of Showbiz and the Culture Wars. It’s one of my top five books of this year, just phenomenal and I’m really excited for you to hear him talk about it. 

Also, actor Steven Weber is here. You know Steven from Wings, the TV miniseries The Shining, Chicago Hope and so much more. He is also a hilarious guy, a monster kid, and a terrific storyteller, so happy to have finally nabbed him to be on. Steven Weber is here. 

True Tales From Weirdsville takes the idea of no good deed going unpunished to a whole new level, it’s the making of Monty Python’s Life Of Brian.