The Dana Gould Hour

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The Dana Gould Hour

Show Notes

Hello! And welcome to the Dana Gould Hour Podcast's annual Halloween spectacular. Or spooktacular! Ha ha! Get it? Not spectacular but – okay, you get it. What a show we have for you today. Mike McCarty and James Knight are brothers, even if they don't have the same last name. And they are the hosts of a new horror podcast called The Head, the Tail and the Whole Damn Thing. It's not your ordinary horror podcast as you will soon learn. I have known Mike forever. He is a special effects make-up artist who has worked on Blade Runner 2049, Mind Hunter, The Exorcist, The Orville, Stan Against Evil, if anyone remembers that show. James is an actor and educator but together, they share a love of all things creepy, and, most importantly, they are great guys and they're super funny. Mike McCarty and James Knight. Also, Rob Zabrecky, or just Zabrecky, if you are a fan of magic, is here. Rob is an actor, and an author and a musician, a Valley kid, who has since gone on to become a professional illusionist and a walking encyclopedia if all things magic. Rob runs the Houdini seance at The Magic Castle and is here today to talk about the history of Midnight Spook Shows! He's also performing one at the Mayan Theater this month here in Los Angeles, but we have him right here, right now, Rob Zabrecky. True Tales From Weirdsville takes us on a deep dive on Dracula, from Bram Stoker's book to Hamilton Dean's west end production in the 1920's all the way up to Gary Oldman's fright wig. We'll discuss which film version is closest to the book, and why, but also ask, how much does that actually matter?

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Sep 26, 2026

Hello! And welcome to September 2026 edition of the Dana Gould Hour Podcast. Fasten your funny belt, we are blasting off, yet again. Filmmaker Mike Mendez is here. Mike is a good friend of the show, and he has a new film out called Dernsie which is a documentary of the inimitable actor Bruce Dern that, get this, just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. And Mark Evanier is with us. Mark is a legendary comic book and television writer, with stories of being in the tranches from everyone from Jack Kirby to Sid & Marty Krofft, from Stan Lee to Pink Lady and Jeff. And he has deigned to share his stories with us. Mark is the author of Jack Kirby, King Of Comics, which is mandatory reading if you are in anyway interested in that world. And if you're listening to this podcast my guess is you are, and talk about his book. There are some great live performances coming up, so check out the events page at www.danagould.com/events/!

Aug 7, 2026

Hello! And welcome to season to the newest episode of The Dana Gould Hour podcast. Fasten your enthusiasm harness, we are blasting off, yet again.

Jun 30, 2026

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May 15, 2026

Hello! And welcome to The Dana Gould Hour Podcast. Fasten your enthusiasm harness, we are blasting off, yet again.

Mar 20, 2026

This is a very special episode in that is constituted of a series of deep dives into several different subjects in which I have a rabid interest. Hopefully you do as well. If not, you're in for a long-ass listen. Unless you're new to the show, you know of my deep and abiding interest in all things David Lynch. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I learned of the book A Place Both Wonderful and Strange: The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks by Scott Meslow. Scott has written for such publications as GQ, New York and The Atlantic. And his book is far too in depth and accomplished to have been thrown together as a quickie cash-in following Mr. Lynch's passing. Quite, as it turns out, the contrary. Scott had pitched his book years before and was well into the writing of it at the time of his passing. And he talks about how the attitudes of his interview subjects changed from before and then after that event. And the book itself if great. You don't have to be a Twin Peaks nut to enjoy it, as it's also a story of how an idea becomes a show, what happens when that show, which was always greater than the sum of its parts becomes a cultural touchstone, etc. etc. etc., Scott Meslow, the author of A Place Both Wonderful and Strange: The Extraordinary Untold History of Twin Peaks is here. As of that weren't enough, Thom Shubilla, who has been here before to discuss his books Prime Time 1966 – 1967: The Study Of Television's First All Color Season, and James Bond And The Sixties Spy Craze. He is also one of the producers of the documentary Drew Friedman Vermeer Of The Borscht Belt, and has another in series of "I Know Dana Gould Will Buy It So That's One Sale Right There" books, King Kong Vs. Godzilla: The Most Colossal Conflict The Screen Has Ever Known. It's ostensibly about the making of the 1962 Toho Studios love letter to me known as King Kong Vs, Godzilla, but it's also just a fantastic story of show biz and deal making. It has everything: guys selling properties they think they have the rights to but don't, guys selling properties they know they don't have the rights to but selling them anyway, and yes… murder. True Tales From Weirdsville takes a deep dive into the life career and bizarre death of 1950's scream queen. She made some weird ass movies, Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman, Attack of The Giant Leeches, but what she did on screen could not compare to what happened in real life and that is a promise. The late, lovely and talented Yvette Vickers. For details and links to my upcoming appearances, please go to the live shows page at DanaGould.com. And now, it's on, to our filthy business.

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