Look, my longtime obsession with the podcast Welcome to Night Vale is well-documented. I won't pretend otherwise. I've barely been able to keep up with all of the show's accolades and accomplishments since it launched three years ago, including beating out juggernaut This American Life to become the most downloaded podcast on iTunes. (This was pre-Serial.) Now, the podcast has spawned a new novel by the same name — and it debuted at number four on The New York Times best-sellers list. So, there's that. You can read an excerpt over on Vulture.
Night Vale is produced in New York by its creators, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Cranor grew up in Mesquite and he's a Texas A&M alum. Another Texas tie is the podcast's artwork and the novel's striking cover, which were both illustrated by Dallas graphic designer Rob Wilson. (Fun fact: Wilson also did the stylishly retro opening credits for the Matthew Broderick movie Dirty Weekend.) So what's Night Vale about? That's a tough one. The podcast focuses on a fictional desert town with some very surreal problems: scary glow clouds, a sinister dog park, mysterious hooded figures, levitating cats. We learn about all of it through the lovable community radio host, Cecil (voiced by actor-turned-fan-favorite Cecil Baldwin), who falls in love with that mysterious scientist Carlos with the impossibly perfect hair. The novel expands on Night Vale's established setting and many of its beloved characters, but also adds new characters and a central mystery plot.
But don't take my word for it. Meet Fink and Cranor yourself tonight at the Dallas Public Library at 1515 Young St. at 7 p.m. and pick up a signed copy of the book. Admission is free. The men will sit down with KERA 90.1's Shelley Kenneavy to talk about the novel, the podcast and, quite possibly, that eerie glow cloud hovering over Dallas.
EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Listen to a true and personal strange story by 'Welcome to Night Vale' co-creator Jeffrey Cranor on a special episode of the 'Mixed Media' culture podcast, available online here and on iTunes after 4 p.m. on November 4.
