7 - History Week

Howdy, Jeffrey Kraner here.

You probably know that Welcome to Night Vale does live tours.

We've done seven of those tours, in fact.

If you never got to see these tours, or even if you did and you want to relive them, we have live recordings available to you right now over at nightvale.bandcamp.com.

You can find those seven different live show performances, including our most recent show, The Attic.

We've also got some one-off events like our Thrilling Adventure Hour crossover show, our first-ever live show, Condos, as well as The Debate.

These albums are only $5 and they're so much fun.

So while we're between tours, tide yourself over with our live albums.

That's nightvale.bandcamp.com.

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It is almost complete.

It is almost complete

at last.

Welcome to Night Vale.

Hello there.

As you well know, faithful listeners, it is Night Vale History Week, in which we all learn a bit about what made our bustling little town what it is.

Or, as the official motto released by the City Council goes, poke about in the black recesses of the past until it devours our fragile present.

In the interest of civic participation, Nightvale Community Radio will be pitching in with short lessons about some points of interest from our town's history, starting with

4000 BC.

Archaeologists believe this is the earliest date of human settlement in Night Vale.

Little remains of these ancient inhabitants, except a few cave paintings of their towns and their hunting practices, and of the dark shapes that would watch them in the distance.

Inhuman, shimmering shapes that never came closer or farther away, but whose presence could be felt even with eyes shut tight, huddled in fur and the company of another human's naked skin.

Or, so I'm extrapolating from the evidence, the cave paintings mainly resembled smudges now after their original discoverer attempted to power wash them off the wall because he, on religious grounds, did not believe in the past.

And now the news.

The Night Vale Tourism Board asks that whoever is telepathically assaulting the tourists, please stop.

According to the NVTB executive director Madeleine LaFleur, There were two separate incidents in one week of entire tour buses suddenly shrieking in unbridled terror and trying to blind themselves using rolled-up, visitable Nightvale brochures,

all to the utter confusion of the bus drivers.

LaFleur added, We just had those brochures printed.

LaFleur claims that tourism accounts for tens of thousands of dollars annually for Nightvale.

and the town prides itself on hospitality.

She said, if good-hearted families travel to Nightvale only to find their subconsciouses besieged with unforgettable revelations, horrors buried so deep as to be completely indescribable, revealing wholly unbearable new truths, then we certainly can't expect these people to return.

Let alone leave good Yelp ratings for local businesses.

The city is asking residents for help in determining who or what is causing these psychological infractions.

The tourism board is offering puppies as a reward for information on this case.

Or, even if you don't have information, the city asks that you come get a puppy or two anyway.

Seriously, downtown municipal offices are overrun with them.

In the trees, walls, carpentry, the exterminators are completely stymied by this infestation.

Please help.

It has been several weeks since anyone in Night Vale has seen the Apache Tracker, that white guy who wears the inaccurate and horribly offensive Indian headdress everywhere.

He has not been seen since he began investigating the great screaming heard at the post office and the words written in blood inside.

Also, the entire structure of his house has vanished, and the lot where it stood is now a bucolic meadow that neighborhood kids will not ever enter for reasons even they are unable to explain.

I think I speak for everyone in the community when I say good riddance to that local embarrassment.

He made the whole town look ignorant and racist.

And now, let us continue with our Night Vale History Week special feature.

The year 1745.

The first white men arrive in Night Vale, which was not Night Vale then, but was rather just another part of a large and featureless desert.

I think we can all agree, though, that even as large and featureless as the desert was, the part that would eventually become Desert Bluffs was still probably awful and drab in comparison to our part.

In any case, the story goes that a party of explorers came to the area that would be Night Vale, looked around, and immediately left to go find somewhere with more water and maybe some trees.

Then another three parties of explorers did the same thing.

Then finally, one party of explorers all looked at each other, shrugged, and plopped down their stuff.

And thus was a proud city born.

And now,

traffic.

Crews from the Department of Public Safety will be repainting highway lane markers this week.

The common white dashes and double yellow lane dividers will be replaced with colorful ceramic mosaics depicting disgruntled South American workers rising en masse against an abusive capitalist hegemony.

The protective steel barriers along curves in the road will be taken down to make room for some really lovely and provocative butcher paper silhouettes of slavery era self-mutilation, reflective of centuries of slow genocide and dehumanization by Western imperialists.

Designed by contemporary art darling, Carol Walker.

Also, exits 15 to 17 along Route 800 will be closed for the next two Saturdays because of the biennial Lee Marvin Film Retrospective.

So, please watch for working crews this weekend.

Lower your speed and don't forget to tip the DPS shift leaders.

20% of your current mileage is standard.

Lack of tipping is the leading cause of sinkholes in the U.S.

The year 1824.

The first meeting of the Town Elder Council, predecessors to the City Council.

Picture them, crimson robes and soft meat crowns, as was traditional at the time, setting the groundwork for the splendor of today's nightvale.

A number of elements of our modern civic process were invented in that single three-hour meeting.

including the city council membership, since unchanged, the lovably Byzantine tax system,

as well as the system of brutal penalties for mistakes, and the official town song, chant, and moan.

All records of this meeting were destroyed, and, according to a note being passed to me just now, I am to report to City Hall for re-education effective tomorrow morning.

Oh dear.

The results of a recent survey of Knightvale residents came to light this week.

The study found widespread dissatisfaction with our town's public library, and when considering the facts, it's easy to see why.

The public computers for internet use are outdated and slow.

The lending period of 14 days is not nearly long enough to read lengthier books given the busy schedules of all our lives.

The fatality rate is also well above the national average for public libraries.

The library Bloodstone Circle does not appear to have seen any maintenance or cleaning in some time.

There are reports of a faceless specter moving about the biographies section picking off lone browsers one by one.

And that biographies section, by the way, is far too small and has been oddly curated, containing 33 copies of the official biography of Helen Hunt and no other books.

From top to bottom, the public library is a disgrace to our fair city, and I can only hope our city council does something about that soon.

Or I may find myself hoping that the faceless specter puts the library to the the same mysterious violent end as its many victims.

Night Vale High won the grudge match against the Desert Bluffs Vultures last night.

Two-headed quarterback Michael Sandero credits the win to help from Angels.

The Angels have made an adamant denial of any involvement whatsoever in the game.

The school district ethics committee has announced that they will look into any possible angelic interference.

Speaking of which, Night Vale High School is adding metal detectors, and parents and students alike are outraged.

Several parents we talked to said that NVHS students have long been recipients of shadow government-issued Uzis and rifles, as well as tasers and armor-piercing munitions.

The school board's decision to put up metal detectors, according to parents, impinges on the clandestine operations' rights as a vast underground conspiracy of giant megacorporations and corrupt world leaders to bear arms via teenage paramilitary proxies.

The school board countered that studies indicate that weapons distract from educators' ability to educate, and that students who bring firearms to classrooms are more likely to use firearms than students without firearms.

The school board says that school shootings can only get in the way of a quality education.

Well,

at the risk of becoming too much a part of this story, dear listeners, Might I say that the Night Vale School District is overstepping its bounds by telling us whether or not our children can be armed by undercover militants?

Should it be a school's job to say, no, child, you cannot have grenades or assault rifles in the classroom?

I think not.

Beginning November 1st, all students at NVHS will enter through metal detectors.

Any firearms or weaponry found will be confiscated and held in the counselor's office until after school, when the students can pick them up again.

Seriously, listeners, what's next?

Removing the line, praise the beams, praise, O ye knowing beams that guide our lives, our hearts, our souls.

Praise, O highest, to ye all-powerful beams from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Let's return to another key moment in Nightvale history.

The year 1943.

As part of the war effort, Nightvale citizens dedicated themselves to chanting.

The young, the old, men and women alike gathered around their bloodstones and chanted for the victory of the United States.

While some credit must be given to the strategic planning of U.S.

command and to the brave fighting of American soldiers, most reputable scholars believe that Night Vale's chanting was the deciding factor in America's eventual victory over the Axis powers.

The city council erected a seven-story monument in Grove Park, saying so in large neon letters, until a federal lawsuit forced them to take it down.

And now, a word from our sponsors.

That word is Carp.

This next installment in our exploration of Night Vale's storied past takes place in the future.

The year 2052

The Scion of the Dark Order will descend, realize he mistimed the prophecy, and reascended.

The seventh siege of the Great Night Vale Temple will rage on.

The plague of buzzing boils will kill thousands and annoy thousands more with its buzzing.

The city council will reveal its true form and eat half of Night Vale's population.

Approval ratings for the mayor will hover in the low 40s, which will be surprising as there will have been no mayor for over 30 years.

And now,

the weather.

Yes, by the bloodstain of your lips and the wonder of your fingertips I should prove true to my emptiness and stay here.

Well, I'm just a kid of ill repute, but the skin I wear's my only suit.

And you, you're just a substitute for the one that I hold dear.

You know you could be anyone.

God forgive my tasteless tongue.

I never should have been set free.

I cut my eyes, I steam my face.

Beg somehow to be replaced.

That's how we deal with boys like me.

Cause I just won't so sick with loss, and your services so free, of course.

I should climb down off my rugged cross and lay with you.

But you know, by now it's half past late.

And I only came here for escape.

But you, you're just my next mistake.

Like me, you.

You know, you could be anyone.

God forgive your unborn sons.

I hope they don't end up like me.

I drag my mind through streets of of shame.

Blame myself, forgive the game.

That's how we deal with boys like me.

But despite what you've been told,

I once had a soul

left somewhere behind

a former friend of mine.

And I hate to speak so free.

But you mean nothing to me.

So if the streetlights they shine bright,

I'll be home tonight.

I guess by the dim light in your eyes, and that to you all things come is a surprise.

I should set the steel trap of your thighs and dive right in.

But to you, I'm just a confused child,

insecure in denial.

Go raise your robes, go have your trial.

I'll let you win.

No, I could be anyone.

God forgive what I should have done.

My thoughts enough to kill TV.

Yes, I, yes, I made this bed.

But I'll take the sidewalk instead.

That's how we deal with boys like me.

But despite what you've been doing,

I once had a soul

left somewhere behind

a former friend of mine.

And I hate to sound so true,

but I mean nothing to you.

So with the street eyes that shine right,

I'll get home tonight.

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Charlie Sheen is an icon of decadence.

I lit the fuse and my life turns into everything it wasn't supposed to be.

He's going the distance.

He was the highest paid TV star of all time.

When it started to change, it was queer.

He kept saying, no, no, no, I'm in the hospital now, but next week I'll be ready for the show.

Now, Charlie's sober.

He's going to tell you the truth.

How do I present this with any class?

I think we're past that, Charlie.

We're past that, yeah.

Somebody call action.

Yeah.

AKA Charlie Sheen, only on Netflix, September 10th.

The Night Vale Business Association announced today that the Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area was not actually something that ever existed in reality,

but was instead a shared hallucination of the entire town's population.

As such, they are proud to declare that they have never suffered any sort of disastrous business failure, and the reportedly massive amounts of money lost on building waterfront facilities in a desert are fabrications of our collective consciousness.

They recommend consulting your dream interpretation manuals to determine exactly what this nightvale harbor vision could mean.

They also said that if you happen to stumble on the waterfront buildings out in the desert exactly where you remembered them, and they seem completely real, standing as vacant and useless as the day they were built, that's because you are still hallucinating and should seek medical treatment immediately.

Or have a member of the city council howl at you if you are of the olden faith and do not believe in modern medicine.

For our final story in this week's featured look into the history of Night Vale, let's look at the very recent past.

Yesterday.

I had cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, steak for dinner.

Cars were driven, cars were not driven.

The sun gave a great shout of light and then, after several hours of thought, quietly retracted the statement.

Old Woman Josie dug up a box in a shady corner of her yard and carried it, cradled in her arms like a baby or a delicate explosive, to another part of her yard where she buried it again.

An unknown person did something that no one else saw, the nature and extent of which is impossible to determine, and the result of which will be lost in the chaotic chain of causation and consequence that is history.

But most importantly,

all of us.

All of us here in Nightvale, in America, in the world, in the secret orbital bases, all of us got through another day.

We passed the time from one end of twelve to the other without stopping once.

Well done, us.

Good job, people who experience time.

Time experiencers,

good

job.

And

from this moment in history, the one that's happening right now,

good night.

Welcome to Night Vale is a production of Night Vale Presents.

It is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Kraner and produced by Joseph Fink.

The voice of Night Vale is Cecil Baldwin.

Original music by Disparition.

All of it can be found at disparition.info or at disparition.bandcamp.com.

This episode's weather was Despite What You've Been Told by the Two Gallants.

Find out more at twogalants.com.

Comments, questions, email us at info at welcometonightvale.com or follow us on Twitter at Nightvale Radio.

Check out welcometonightvale.com for more information on this show and all sorts sorts of neat nightvale stuff you can buy.

And while you're there, consider clicking the donate link.

It's the key to all of life's mysteries.

Today's proverb, it must be 3.23 p.m.

somewhere.

Maybe space?

I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times.

And I'm Paul Scheer, an actor, writer, and director.

You might know me from the League Veep or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters.

We love movies and we come at them from different perspectives.

Yeah, like Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't.

He's too old.

Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dune 2 is overrated.

It is.

Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites, must-season, and case you missed them.

We're talking Parasite the Home Alone, From Grease to the Dark Knight.

We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks.

We've talked about why Independence Day deserves a second look.

And we've talked about horror movies, some that you've never even heard of, like Kanja and Hess.

So if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure.

Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcasts.

And don't forget to hit the follow button.

Hey y'all, it is Jeffrey Kraner speaking to you from the year 2025.

And did you know that Welcome to Night Vale is back out on tour?

We are.

We're going to be up in the northeast in the Boston, New York City area, going all the way over to the upper Midwest in Minnesota.

That's in July.

You'll kind of draw a line through there and you'll kind of see the towns we'll be hitting.

We'll also be doing Philly down to Florida in September.

And we'll be going from Austin all the way up through the middle of the country into Toronto, Canada in October.

And then we'll be doing the West Coast plus.

the southwest plus Colorado in January of 2026.

You can find all of the show dates at welcometonightvale.com/slash live.

Listen, this brand new live show is so much fun.

It is called Murder Night in Blood Forest, and it stars Cecil Baldwin, of course, Symphony Sanders, me, and live original music by Disparition, and who knows what other special guests may come along for the ride.

These tours are always so much fun, and they are for you, the Die Hard fan, and you, the Night Vale new kid alike.

So feel comfortable bringing your family, your partner, your co-workers, your cat, whatever.

They don't got to know what a night veil is to like the show.

Tickets to all of these live shows are on sale now at welcometonightvale.com/slash live.

Don't let time slip away and miss us when we are in your town because otherwise we will all be sad.

Get your tickets to our live U.S.

plus Toronto tours right now at welcometonightve.com/slash live.

And hey, see you soon.