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EPISODE #160: REAL-ESTATE SCOUNDRELS & FLYING BLACK TRIANGLES

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hudson-valley boomerang

We are back with a new episode, all about the wonders of the High Desert, and the various aerial portents we call Wonders in the Sky. Including a black triangle sighting in Los Angeles, reported by our listener “Ellis in L.A.” PLUS: If you’re near Wonder Valley tonight, come on by The Palms on Amboy Road, where we are doing a rare live event with RedBlueBlackSilver, 10 p.m. on the outdoor stage, under the stars and whatever else might pass overhead, for the All Summers Eve Desert Rendezvous festival.

Listen on the radio, 10 PM Fridays, on KCDZ 107.7 FM in the Mojave High Desert.

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Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to everybody who supports this show at patreon.com/desertoracle. You can get the new trade-paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1 wherever you buy books.

EPISODE #159: THAT IT WILL NEVER COME AGAIN

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Send in the Clowns, well maybe next year

We are meditating upon some various facts and figures here in the Mojave High Desert this week, from the warm weather in Twentynine Palms to “which apostle was crucified upside down and is now remembered with an immense phallic monument to the Egyptian sun god, Ra?” It’s EPISODE #159: IT WILL NEVER COME AGAIN. Listen on the radio, 10 PM Fridays, on KCDZ 107.7 FM in the Mojave High Desert.

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Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to everybody who supports this show at patreon.com/desertoracle.

EPISODE #158: LAST BLAST OF WINTER

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Happy Earth Day, people of Earth. Here’s an episode about the desert in winter, appropriate for our spring blast of rain and snow and cold, cold temperatures. This was recorded live at the Whistle Stop in San Diego, near the end of our November-December 2021 tour.

It’s EPISODE #158: LAST BLAST OF WINTER. And there’s a relevant second episode tonight on our hometown station, KCDZ 107.7 FM, on this Earth Day (Earth Night?): #054: EARTH DAY’S HIPPIE KILLER + THE APOSTLE OF THE CACTI.

Thanks to everybody who supports this show at patreon.com/desertoracle.

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Listen Fridays 10PM-11PM on KCDZ 107.7 FM in Joshua Tree & across the Mojave High Desert, on Saturdays at 9PM on KZMU 90.1/106.7 FM Moab/Castle Valley, Sundays at 8PM on KAPY Valley 104.9 FM in King County, Washington, and on KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno at 2:30PM Wednesdays. Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

EPISODE #157: PHANTOM CRASH ON A UTAH HIGHWAY

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What happened to Army Private Gerry Irwin on a Utah two-lane, way back in February 1959? There was no plane crash. No passengers. Nothing but Pvt. Irwin, unconscious in the Utah night. Strange things happen on the desert highways. It’s EPISODE #157: PHANTOM CRASH ON A UTAH HIGHWAY.

PS — If you turn on KZMU-FM in Moab (or steam online) tomorrow night, there will be some special Desert Oracle audio playing. It’s the KZMU spring Radiothon!

Thanks to everybody who supports this show at patreon.com/desertoracle.

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Listen Fridays 10PM-11PM on KCDZ 107.7 FM in Joshua Tree & across the Mojave High Desert, on Saturdays at 9PM on KZMU 90.1/106.7 FM Moab/Castle Valley, Sundays at 8PM on KAPY Valley 104.9 FM in King County, Washington, and on KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno at 2:30PM Wednesdays. Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

EPISODE #156: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE PINYON JAY

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What is the life philosophy of the pinyon jay? To eat pinyon nuts and somehow make pinyon-jay eggs. The rest is easy, especially with a hundred-and-fifty pinyon jays doing your thinking for you. This episode comes to you from Moab, Utah. Recorded in the studios of KZMU-FM, community radio for Moab and the Castle Valley. And this episode is about . . . . well, what is it about? Life, death, pronghorns, etc. It’s EPISODE #156: PHILOSOPHY OF THE PINYON JAY. Thanks to everybody who supports this show at patreon.com/desertoracle.

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Listen Fridays 10PM-11PM on KCDZ 107.7 FM in Joshua Tree & across the Mojave High Desert, on Saturdays at 9PM on KZMU 90.1/106.7 FM Moab/Castle Valley, Sundays at 8PM on KAPY Valley 104.9 FM in King County, Washington, and on KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno at 2:30PM Wednesdays. Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver.

Thanks for picking up a copy of our new trade-paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1. PS — We’re on Audible, too.

EPISODE #155: DRUID TALES TO WARD OFF ST. PATRICK

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In tribute to the Druids who were canceled by Saint Patrick, tonight we tell some stories: Ghost stories, from those ancient Celtic lands that gave us the Sidhe, the Good People, the Gentry, the leprechauns and banshee, the goddess Brigid and the frightful pooka. Tales from the Dim Kingdom, of the Tuatha de Danaan. And how the Gold Rush of the Sierra Nevada was the birthplace of the “Luck of the Irish.”

Listen Fridays at 10PM on KCDZ 107.7 FM in Joshua Tree & across the Mojave High Desert, on Saturdays at 9PM on KZMU 90.1/106.7 FM Moab/Castle Valley, Sundays at 8PM on KAPY Valley 104.9 FM in King County, Washington, and on KFCF 88.1 FM in Fresno at 2:30PM Wednesdays. Written & hosted by Ken Layne, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to those of you who support this operation through our Patreon.

Become a Patron!

And thanks for picking up a copy of our new paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1.

EPISODE #154: ANTIDOTE FOR DESPAIR

Georgia O'Keeffe (Evening Walk, Ghost Ranch) by John Loengard, 1966 (printed later); National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Acquired through the generosity of Pat and John Rosenwald; © John Loengard

What’s a good anecdote about an antidote for despair? Here’s one:

It’s EPISODE #154: ANTIDOTE FOR DESPAIR. One of the many pleasures of wandering the wilderness is you can escape the despair of society. For a half day or so, if not forever. Walt Whitman did it, as did Georgia O’Keeffe. ALSO: Have you heard that we can stop global warming in as little as three years? A few more years to take it down a degree or so, but “stopping” is a pretty big deal! Also, there is no such thing as an alpha male wolf. So much to learn!

And much to hear, with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver and a new radio sermon by Ken Layne. Photo: Georgia O’Keeffe (Evening Walk, Ghost Ranch) by John Loengard, 1966 (printed later); National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; © John Loengard.

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Thanks to those of you who support this operation on our Patreon.com/DesertOracle page! And thanks for picking up a copy of our new paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1.

EPISODE #153: JOHN MUIR IN THE WILD DESERT

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Tonight we visit with the friendly ghost of John Muir, specifically regarding his many excursions in the California deserts. Now is the time for EPISODE #153: JOHN MUIR IN THE DESERT.

New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Listen on the radio tonight 10PM-11PM, on KCDZ 107.7 FM … Pioneertown to Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley to Wonder Valley, from Amboy to Zzyzx.

Become a Patron!

Thanks to those of you who support this operation on our Patreon.com/DesertOracle page! And thanks for picking up a copy of our new paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1.

EPISODE #152: SETTLE DOWN, WITH PURPOSE

It’s the prettiest time of year in the High Desert, with longer days and the last winter precipitation setting it all up for springtime. What will it look like, in a thousand years? Probably pretty much the same, minus the Airbnbs and vintage shops. Now is the time for EPISODE #152: SETTLE DOWN W/ PURPOSE. Hear it on the radio tonight from Amboy to Zzyzx on Joshua Tree’s own KCDZ 107.7 FM, plus a classic episode following the new one, 10-11 p.m.

New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver with some drumming help on the last act by S.W. Lauden, who just put out the book Forbidden Beat about the history & art of punk-rock drumming.

Become a Patron!

Thanks to those of you who support this operation on our Patreon.com/DesertOracle page! And thanks for picking up a copy of our new paperback edition of Desert Oracle Vol. 1.

EPISODE #151: NASRUDDIN & OTHER HOLY FOOLS

Back from our brief convalescence to bring you desert prayers in the night — Ancient Egyptian prayers & psalms, in this case. And some tales of Mullah Nasruddin, the Sufi mystic philosopher & fool who lived early in the last millennium. Now is the time for EPISODE #151: NASRUDDIN & OTHER HOLY FOOLS.

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Our Desert Oracle Vol. 1 paperback is a Southern California bestseller! Available now from your neighborhood bookseller, this fancy paperback reproduces all the design, photos and illustration from our popular hardcover edition.

Here the show tonight at 10 P.M. on KCDZ 107.7 FM in Joshua Tree & the Mojave High Desert, a new episode plus a weird classic at 10:30 P.M. We appreciate your support of the show on Patreon. New soundscapes tonight by RedBlueBlackSilver. Recorded in Los Angeles at the Muse Lighthouse.

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