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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #41 (Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man/Tunguska)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episodes. With the new season announced to be starting in early January, Tony’s doing two episodes of the podcast per day, so buckle up.

My first appearance of the fourth season is covering the episodes Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man and Tunguska with the fantastic Zach Moore. It’s actually the last hurrah of this particular pairing, but talk about going out on a high note. Well, half a high note. Half a high note and a really weird Senate-driven cliffhanger.

 

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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #34 (Pusher/Teso Dos Bichos)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episode.

And now it’s getting twice as fast. With the new season of The X-Files dropping in very early January, the podwatch will be releasing two episodes per day. Starting with this one. So, no pressure, then.

My second appearance of the third season is covering the episodes Pusher and Teso Dos Bichos with Clara Cook. One of those episodes I adore and the other… I don’t. Guess which is which. Go on. This is my first episode with Clara, although we do a couple more before the end of the run. So keep your ears open for those.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #32 (Syzygy/Grotesque)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episode. I’m honoured to be a part of it.

My first appearance of the third season is covering the episodes Syzygy and Grotesque with the always charming Zach Moore. Arriving at a point when the third season was firing on all cylinders, these episodes have everything. Keystone cops! Gargoyles! Kurtwood Smith! Glass blowing! se7en homages! Baby Ryan Reynolds! Listen and enjoy.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #19 (Aubrey/Irresistible)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episode. I’m honoured to be a part of it.

My second appearance of the second season is covering the episodes Aubrey and Irresistible with the wonderful Zach Moore. I should be doing roughly one episode per season with Zach, who is a bit of a deft hand when it comes to podcast hosting and a shrewd eye when it comes to X-Files criticism. This episode is particularly worthy of note because I’m a big fan of Aubrey and find it somewhat overlooked and underrated.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #18 (Red Museum/Excelsis Dei)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episode. I’m honoured to be a part of it.

My first appearance of the second season is covering the episodes Red Museum and Excelsis Dei with the always insightful Christopher Knowles. I do a couple of episodes with Chris over the course of the podwatch, and very few people understand the workings of the show, its symbolism and its fascinations, as thoroughly as Chris. It was a joy recording these episodes, and I hope it’s as much fun listening to them.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch – Episode #9 (Young at Heart/E.B.E.)

I’m thrilled to be a part of The X-Cast X-Files Podwatch, a daily snippet podcast rewatching the entirety of The X-Files between now and the launch of the new season. It is something of a spin-off of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black. Tony has assembled a fantastic array of guests and hosts to go through The X-Files episode-by-episode. I’m honoured to be a part of it.

My second appearance comes in the second half of the first season, covering the episodes Young at Heart and E.B.E. with the great Zack Moore. He does an amazing Jerry Hardin impression. Give the episode a listen below, and keep your ears open. I should be back a few more times before the podwatch wraps up.

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“Opening The X-Files” is Now Available on Amazon Kindle and Google Books!

Hi guys!

Just a quick update to let you know that my new book, Opening The X-Files: A Critical History of the Original Series, is now available as an eBook from Amazon and Google Books. Links available below.

There will also be a print book available, and that will be released in a few weeks. But if you absolutely, positively have to read it now, you can pick it up for your eReader of choice at that links below.

The book has been a labour of love. It is basically the distillation of all of my reviews of The X-Files into a singular linear narrative that charts the show from its origins and influences through to the release of I Want to Believe. It includes sidebars and tangents for particular creators of interest and for the various other tie-ins, spin-offs and other interesting thematic divergences.

(It does not include the revival series, but if it is popular enough, a second edition or follow-up could always be possible.)

It has been a fun project, and I am hugely indebted to those who offered their support along the way. The book was published by McFarland Books and comes with an introduction by actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani. With a bit of luck, if this project goes well, I might attempt something similar in the near future.

If you need the book right now, here are the links to the places where you can purchase the eBook online:

 

You are willing to wait a little longer, you can order a hard copy of the book from many of the same places:

If you’d like to support the book, there are a number of things that you could do:

If you want a sample of what the book will cover, in a much more organised manner, there are some sneak peaks online:

If you’re still on the fence, here are come very nice things that some very nice people said about the book:

A welcome, and well-written addition to X-Files lore, by an author who knows his stuff.

John Kenneth Muir, author, The X-FilesFAQ

I get excited about watching the episodes, but I get just as excited about reading Darren afterward.

Kumail Nanjiani, actor, comedian and writer

The truth is in here! If The X-Files were a college class, Mooney’s book would be the essential text. It not only supplements, but greatly enhances one’s enjoyment of the groundbreaking series.

Rod Lott, FlickAttack.com

A massive thank you to everybody who has supported the book so far. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll try to answer all of them.

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 26 (“Anasazi”)

Just a quick link to my final guest appearance of the season over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black.

Providing symmetry to my guest appearances over the year, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about Anasazi. It was great to be invited back, given that I’d had the good fortune to cover Little Green Men with Tony at the start of the season. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from skirting the line with new age clichés to apocalyptic anxieties to how you never throw down against Walter Skinner. I will be working with Tony on a secret project in the future, which I’ll talk about as soon as I get back from the bathroom. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 17 (“End Game”)

Just a quick link to a recent (unscheduled) guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

Following on from last week, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about End Game. It was a joy, given the my own fondness for the episode and its place in the large X-Files canon. It was a fun to talk through the episode, from what Mulder really wants to whether the show’s popularity drove the mythology or the mythology’s popularity drove the show to Mister X’s appreciation for the fine arts. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 16 (“Colony”)

Just a quick link to a recent (unscheduled) guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

In the first of a two-parter experience, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about Colony. It was a huge honour, given the importance of Colony in the overall mythology of The X-Files. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from Chris Carter’s recurring fascination with Frankenstein to nineties television direction to how hard it must be for the Alien Bounty Hunter to shop for clothes. I will also be back next week to talk about End Game with Tony. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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