Wormwood

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Joe's Dump

Wormwood

A Serialized Mystery
By Habit Forming Films, LLC.

(this post is dedicated to the memory of Rob Grindlinger…)

Way back in 2007, I was fortunate enough to join a very talented group of audio drama professionals.
Unlike many productions, we all met – in person – to record.
It was an amazing experience, and I think the end result shows it… I hope you enjoy it!

Synopsis:
When a strange vision of murder sends him to a small town to investigate, Dr. Xander Crowe discovers that Wormwood is far from ordinary. Secrets lurk within every resident, from the innkeeper to the town librarian to the waitress at the diner. The seemingly idyllic surface of Wormwood hides a mystery unlike anything Crowe has ever experienced — he finds himself drawn into a web of dark conspiracy, strange romance, and arcane mysticism. As Crowe begins to unravel the mystery at the heart of Wormwood, he finds that his very presence there may not be a coincidence at all…

Wormwood is a full-cast serialized mystery delivered as an MP3 podcast on our website and via the many podcatchers on the web, including iTunes. Wormwood offers a quirky ensemble drama with elements of supernatural horror and mystery. With its odd, small town setting and tragic lead character, Wormwood is designed to appeal to fans of True Blood, Twin Peaks, Supernatural, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as the works of writers like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Edgar Allan Poe.

You can listen to all three seasons below, or if you prefer, they’re also on iTunes here.

Wormwood – Season 1: The Drowned Woman

Wormwood Episode 1: The Coming Storm

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Wormwood Episode 2: Small Town Drama

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Wormwood Episode 3: Feels Like Falling

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Wormwood Episode 4: Inquisition

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Wormwood Episode 5: Muck and Mire

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Wormwood Episode 6: Where The Bullet Hits…

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Wormwood Episode 7: The Sacrificial Lamb

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Wormwood Episode 8: By Small Hands

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Wormwood Episode 9: Teenage Wasteland

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Wormwood Episode 10: The Funeral

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Wormwood Episode 11: The Wayward

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Wormwood Episode 12: Karma

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Wormwood Episode 13: Questions and Rumors

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Wormwood Episode 14: Place of Pain

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Wormwood Episode 15: Alone At Last

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Wormwood Episode 16: The Long Shadows

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Wormwood Episode 17: Asunder

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Wormwood Episode 18: The Hunt for Julian Calendar

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Wormwood Episode 19: Necromancy and the Art of Making Friends

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Wormwood Episode 20: Run

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Wormwood Episode 21: Parts You Don’t Throw Away

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Wormwood Episode 22: Opening Books That Can’t Be Closed

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Wormwood Episode 23: Dead Beat Down

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Wormwood Episode 24: Tea and Sympathy (for the Devil)

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Wormwood – Season 2: Crossroads

Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 1 — One Month Later…

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 2 — The Rescue

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 3 — The Missing Month, Part One

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 4 — Thinning, Part One

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 5 — A Sentimental Nature

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 6 — Ghosthunters of Wormwood

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 7 — A Bedtime Story

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 8 — The Missing Month, Part Two

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 9 — Red Right Hand

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 10 — Thinning, Part Two

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 11 — Albatross

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 12 — The Wolves of Lyonsville

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 13 – When Chip Met Dale

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 14 — Jack Nicholson’s Nose

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 15 — Weeping Doctor, Wilted Demon

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 16 — Haitian Bleu

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 17 — The Supplanter

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 18 — Sweet Intangible You

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 19 – Something Funny in Everything

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 20 — He Who Forgiveth All, Part 1

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 21 — He Who Forgiveth All, Part 2

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 22 — A Farewell to (f)Arms

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Wormwood: Crossroads: Episode 23 — Cold Satisfies the Couple

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Wormwood – Season 3, Part 1: The Five Fingers of Glory

Wormwood and the Five Fingers of Glory: The Thief of Sepharvaim

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Wormwood and the Five Fingers of Glory: Memento Mori

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Wormwood and the Five Fingers of Glory: Dead Man’s Hand

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Wormwood and the Five Fingers of Glory: Celery Farm

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Wormwood and the Five Fingers of Glory: Left

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Wormwood – Season 3, Part 2: Portraits

Wormwood Portraits: The Minstrel’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Queen’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Merchant’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Bishop’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Farmer’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Criminal’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Lover’s Tale

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Wormwood Portraits: The Hermit’s Tale

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Wormwood – Season 3, Part 3: Revelation

Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter One

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Two

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Three

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Four

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Five

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Six

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Seven

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Wormwood: Revelation: Chapter Eight

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—

Creators:
Wormwood is produced by Habit Forming Films, LLC, a dynamic film production company dedicated to producing uncompromising works of entertainment outside of the traditional Hollywood studio system.

The Habit Forming Films, LLC. Production staff includes:
Christa Nahhas (Executive Producer, Chief Financial Officer)
Dee Rogers (Associate Producer)

The Wormwood Creative Staff includes:
David Accampo (Co-creator/Executive Producer)
Jeremiah Allan (Staff Writer)
Jeremy Rogers (Co-creator/Executive Producer)
Lance Wolf (Illustrator)
Paul Montgomery (Staff Writer)
Rick Bata (Staff Writer)
Rob Allspaw (Staff Writer)
Tiffiny Whitney (Staff Writer)
Todd Hodges (Composer)

Cast:
Andrew Ramirez (Dexter Nolen)
Anna Maganini (Lynette Bradley, Peggy Nolen)
Arthur Russell (Doctor Xander Crowe)
Ben Boodman (Mister Carrefour, Chip Drexal)
Cheyenne Bsaies (Lemora Haskell, Katrina Edison)
Chris Blaylock (Doctor Pete Meno)
Dave Johnston (Deputy Drexal, Jonathan Kitter)
Joe J. Thomas (Hank Mason, Phineas Thibert)
Joy Vanides (Sister George)
Koralee Nickarz (Deidre Frost, Emily Saunders)
Nicole Rayburn (Harmony Barrister)
Peter Dirksen (Jimmy Details, Jonesy)
Rob Grindlinger (Sheriff Bradley, Cedric Bloomington, Don Marino)
Robert W. Allen (Special Agent Voitek)
Samantha Turk (Henrietta “Henry” Howe)
Scott Olynek (Jacob Kitter)
Sonia Perozzi (Sparrow, Rachel Nolen)
Zachary Foulkes (Brent Saunders, Charles Edison)

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

The Path of the (Yodeling) Pickle

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Joe's Dump

The Path of the (Yodeling) Pickle

*** Updated June 4, 2018: The Pickle on The McPhee Podcast! ***

*** UPDATED 4/30/2018 STEPHEN FRY TWEET! (at the bottom) ***

Joe's Yodel (Joe J Thomas)

How did learning to yodel lead to Weird Al, George Takei, The Today Show and Gorillaz?

It all began in 2006, with a contest by the Seattle novelty company Archie McPhee.

They were searching for a yodel.

I was a singer, but had never yodeled. So I consulted the internet and found YodelCourse.org

After some free lessons, I submitted my contest entry and forgot about it.

… until 100 rubber chickens showed up on my doorstep!

I’d won the contest, and the prize was 100 rubber chickens, plus my yodel in a toy.

Now, the first toy (Feb, 2007) was not the Yodeling Pickle, but instead was the “Remote Control Hopping Yodeling Lederhosen” (with a knockwurst remote, of course):

Then in April of 2007 came the now famous “Yodeling Pickle”:

In December of 2008, the Today Show with Cathy Lee and Hoda reviewed the pickle:

Kathy Lee Gifford sang with it and said “Nothin’ beats the Singin’ Pickle!”

Sales of the Yodeling Pickle were great, and soon they came out with other yodeling products (more on those below).

On December 26, 2010, the Grammy winning band “Gorillaz” album “The Fall” featured the yodel on track 15: “Seattle Yodel”:

You can download the whole album for free at: Gorillaz – The Fall (at Archive.Org)

Gorillaz - Seattle Yodel

On August 5, 2011, Archie McPhee released their own video of the track:

On March 26, 2013: Archie McPhee announced “International Yodeling Pickle Day“!!!

On May 22, 2013: George Takei posted his comedic review of the Yodeling Pickle on Amazon:

And on June 17, 2015: Weird Al Yankovic tweeted this (along with a review on Amazon)
“You can have my electronic yodeling pickle WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD FINGERS.”

On June 2, 2017: Gizmodo posted an article on Gorillaz and the Seattle Yodel Track:

On July 16, 2017, George Takei included the Yodeling Pickle in a video review from Knowable:

And on April 30, 2018: Stephen Fry tweeted:

“I don’t know what a Yodelling Pickle is, all I know is that I want one. And in an instant absolute and foot-stamping Veruca Salt kind of way”

New! June 4, 2018: The Pickle on The McPhee Podcast!
Archie McPhee – PODCAST EP 6: THE YODELLING PICKLE AND THE GORILLA(Z)

Other Yodeling products from Archie McPhee:

Gerkin for a living,
Joe “Yodelling Pickle” Thomas

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 3)

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Joe's Dump

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 3)

Afternoon Tea Adventures presents a brand new Doctor Who audio drama in 3 parts.

Chapter Three: Marching as to War
Welcott prepares to march his undead army to 1950’s England, to wage war against the Establishment. VTI Security Forces have been ordered to destroy The Space, and all the colonists living there. Julia Shahid is losing her mind. And the Doctor is finally opening her eyes to what’s going on.

Listen to part two here:

Also available on iTunes (click here)

And on YouTube:

(did you miss part one or two? here they are 😉

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 2)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze – a science fiction ghost story.

“The mind is its own place, and in its self
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
–John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Palestine 1975: The Doctor’s companion, under surveillance by CIA agents, writes a letter to her younger sister in New York City.

England, 1955: a grieving father obsessively searches for the ghost of his dead son.

Hyperspace, the 22nd Century: Something is threatening a community in thrall to an ancient alien technology, shrouded in myth and legend.

As all three events collide, the Doctor finds herself in a bloodied life-or-death race to piece together an inter-dimensional mystery that threatens to tear open the divide between sanity and madness and the living and the dead.

In a spectral, hostile darkness, sometimes the best thing you can do to survive is to widen your gaze.

CAST
The Doctor … K. Woo
Julia Shahid … Valina Cutler
Welcott … Joe J. Thomas
Fair Hair/Soul … Justin Fife
Lupez … Lisa Michaud
Selina … Fazia Rizvi
Cruz … Al Gordon

Written by Vince Stadon
Doctor Who logo by John Callaghan
Art by Valina Cutler
Many thanks to freesound.org

Afternoon Tea Adventures‘ Doctor Who series is a free, not-for-profit fan production and is in no way associated with the British Broadcasting Corporation. It was created as a celebration of the series, without intent to supersede or infringe on existing copyrights or intellectual property. Doctor Who, the TARDIS, and other registered sounds and concepts remain property of the BBC.

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 2)

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Joe's Dump

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 2)

Afternoon Tea Adventures presents a brand new Doctor Who audio drama in 3 parts.

Chapter Two: The White Light Divine
As the Doctor sets a very dangerous trap, Julia finds herself in a strange empty place where madmen tell their stories, and there’s a ghost in the machine.

Listen to part two here:

Also available on iTunes (click here)

And on YouTube:

(did you miss part one? here’s a link to it 😉

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze – a science fiction ghost story.

“The mind is its own place, and in its self
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
–John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Palestine 1975: The Doctor’s companion, under surveillance by CIA agents, writes a letter to her younger sister in New York City.

England, 1955: a grieving father obsessively searches for the ghost of his dead son.

Hyperspace, the 22nd Century: Something is threatening a community in thrall to an ancient alien technology, shrouded in myth and legend.

In a spectral, hostile darkness, sometimes the best thing you can do to survive is to widen your gaze.

Chapter Two: The White Light Divine
As the Doctor sets a very dangerous trap, Julia finds herself in a strange empty place where madmen tell their stories, and there’s a ghost in the machine.

CAST
The Doctor … K. Woo
Julia Shahid … Valina Cutler
Welcott … Joe J. Thomas
Fair Hair … Justin Fife
Cruz … Al Gordon
Lupez … Lisa Michaud
VTI Computer … Stan Endvico
Lawyer … Glen Bartram

Written by Vince Stadon
Doctor Who logo by John Callaghan
Art by Valina Cutler
Many thanks to freesound.org

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Joe's Dump

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Afternoon Tea Adventures presents a brand new Doctor Who audio drama in 3 parts.

Listen to part one here:

Also available on iTunes (click here)

And on YouTube:

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze – a science fiction ghost story.

“The mind is its own place, and in its self
Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.”
–John Milton, Paradise Lost.

Palestine 1975: The Doctor’s companion, under surveillance by CIA agents, writes a letter to her younger sister in New York City.

England, 1955: a grieving father obsessively searches for the ghost of his dead son.

Hyperspace, the 22nd Century: Something is threatening a community in thrall to an ancient alien technology, shrouded in myth and legend.

In a spectral, hostile darkness, sometimes the best thing you can do to survive is to widen your gaze.

Chapter One: The Ghost Train
The Doctor and Julia are being followed by something inexplicable and inhuman, and in a deserted station along a lonely coastal railway line a ghost train is waiting for them.

CAST
The Doctor … K. Woo
Julia Shahid … Valina Cutler
Welcott … Joe J. Thomas
Fair Hair … Justin Fife

Written by Vince Stadon
Doctor Who logo by John Callaghan
Art by Valina Cutler
Many thanks to freesound.org

U-Boat Bunny

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Joe's Dump

U-Boat Bunny

a post-Easter poem by Joe J Thomas

Where does the bunny go when Easter time is done
When kids are finished playing and tired from the fun
He hippity hops along the grass and over to the beach
He gets into his submarine and dives down out of reach
The U-boat’s fueled by Easter grass
The ballast is jelly beans
The hull is made from eggshells
All neat and white and clean
The ship is manned by peeps, marshmallowy and sweet
They have little ears, eyes, and nose but none of them have feet
So now you know where bunny goes on all the other days
He’s sailing in his U-Boat way down below the waves

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Spock’s Pen

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Joe's Dump

Spock’s Pen

April 2nd, 1975. I was 11 years old, and my Mom got us tickets to see Leonard Nimoy speak at a nearby community college. I was a fan of Star Trek, and of Mr. Nimoy’s work, so… Whoa! How cool is that!

After his talk, he took questions, and I stood in line.

When my turn came, I had a simple one: “Can I have your autograph?”

After a short chuckle he motioned for me to come over to the podium.
He signed, and I walked back to my seat.

With a pen. Oh, it was my Mom’s pen, but a bit of confusion happened and things moved on.

… but it did get written up in the article below: (click for full size)

Fast forward to 2013. Although I never did get to see Mr. Nimoy in person again, I did get the chance to work with him. It turns out we’re both in the “Star Trek Online” game. He is Mr. Spock, of course, and I am a Klingon named Ch’Gren.

Pretty cool…

Almost as good as when I took his pen 😉
LLAP,

Joe

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Joe's Dump

Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

a story book with pictures… by Joe J Thomas

Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

My family has a secretive past

Of memories haunting the best of ‘em

From the first of us to the very last

About Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

Continue reading →

Bearly The Actor

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Joe's Dump

Bearly The Actor
(a children’s story for grown-ups)
written by: Joe J Thomas

Bearly The Actor - Joe J Thomas

In the magical land of Hollis Woods, there once lived a little guy named Bearly.
He worked in the daytime at the honey mines, where everyone treated him fairly.

He rented a smallish room in a hollow tree
In a town where very little came free

But Bearly’s dream was much bigger than that – an actor was what he wanted to be!
With fame and awards and lots of honey in a mansion down by the sea!
Continue reading →

Chicken Boy!

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Joe's Dump

Chicken Boy!

The year was 1987…

The Harmonic Convergence was upon us…

And a movie about a chicken-headed boy who sang like Elvis was being shot in Columbus, Ohio.

I should know – I was an extra in “Chicken Boy: The Movie”

Continue reading →

Joe's Dump

Fallout From My Nuclear Brain

Category Archives: Story

Wormwood

Wormwood

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Like this:

The Path of the (Yodeling) Pickle

The Path of the (Yodeling) Pickle

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Like this:

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 3)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 3)

Like this:

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 2)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 2)

Like this:

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Doctor Who: Widen Your Gaze (part 1)

Like this:

U-Boat Bunny

U-Boat Bunny

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Like this:

Spock’s Pen

Spock’s Pen

All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com

Like this:

Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

Great Great Aunt Agatha Kensington

a story book with pictures… by Joe J Thomas

Like this:

Bearly The Actor

Like this:

Chicken Boy!

Chicken Boy!

Like this: