315: Lovecraft and Art, with Kailas Elmer
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
Release Date: 06/16/2025
315: Lovecraft and Art, with Kailas Elmer
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re mulling over bas-reliefs again. Once you start looking into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, the damn things are everywhere. We would say that there’s no relief from them, but that would be beneath us. Main Topic: Lovecraft and Art This episode is the first of a two-part look into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, and how this shaped the Cthulhu Mythos and Call of Cthulhu. Next episode, we’ll be flipping things around and looking for inspiration from the world of art, but here we’re examining the influence it had on Lovecraft’s life...
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314: Analogue Horror, with Holly Buteau
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re twiddling the tracking knob. It’s supposed to help clear up the image on this old videocassette, but maybe that’s just missing the point. The static can be the most interesting part, filled with whispers, ghosts, and ancient secrets. Compared to such wonders, the film itself is a bit disappointing. Then again, analogue horror seems to be more of a vibe than a form of storytelling, so maybe we should just let the white noise wash over us. Main Topic: Analogue Horror This episode sees us explore analogue horror, trying to work out what exactly it is and how to bring...
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313: Horror in Space, with Holly Buteau
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re and we’re answering the call of the void. Really, it’s about the scariest call you can receive, regardless of what Cthulhu may tell you. The yawning darkness of infinity shouldn’t be as tempting as it is. For all our talk about horror in space, maybe the real horror was inside us the whole time. Main Topic: Horror in Space This episode heads into the cold and the dark, exploring just what it is that makes space so scary. We talk about some of the real challenges and dangers posed by space travel and how they can amplify horror, then move on to inspirational...
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312: Comedy Horror, with Evan Dorkin
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re and we’re putting on our ponchos. They look a bit silly, but that works for us here. The important thing is that they’ll keep some of the gore off our clothes. Comedy horror can be a messy business, especially once you bring gardening equipment into play. We’re not sure whether to laugh or cry, so we’ll probably just scream. Main Topic: Comedy Horror This episode sees us delve into the bloody world of comedy horror, trying to pin down what makes the two genres work so well together, looking at some examples from media, and trying to work out how to perform...
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311: RPGs and Fiction, with Evan Dorkin
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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310: Something Wicked This Way Comes, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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309: Theme Parks and Horror, with Cuppycup
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re learning about protein spills. What sounded like an innocent sexual innuendo has turned out to be more scatological than any of us would have liked. The unpleasant realities of theme parks are well hidden behind twee language and cute costumes. Happily, once we strip them away, we can find some good horror inspiration. Although we do wish it all smelled a bit better. Main Topic: Theme Parks and Horror This episode, we visit the topic of theme parks, amusement parks, funfairs and the like, looking for Call of Cthulhu inspiration. As with so many things rooted...
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308: The Appeal of Vampires, With Josephine McAdam
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
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307: Horror For the Nervous, with Josephine McAdam
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re hiding behind the sofa. Sure, the monsters, masked killers, and mutants can probably find us back here, but it still feels safer for some reason. Fear is rarely a rational thing, so why should our response to it be? Main Topic: Horror For the Nervous This episode came about when Scott was playing The Between with Josephine McAdam over on and she mentioned that she rarely watches or reads horror media because she finds it upsetting. Given how many horror projects Josephine has been involved with, this seemed like something worth exploring, so we...
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306: Quatermass and the Pit
The Good Friends of Jackson Elias
We’re back and we’re digging up the past. Some of this excavation is purely physical, burrowing into the clay under London in search of the usual skulls and spaceships. The rest, however, is more atavistic in nature, uncovering the strange, alien memories buried within our minds. On reflection, we probably shouldn’t have used pickaxes for both jobs. Main Topic: Quatermass and the Pit This episode is our long-overdue exploration of the strange world of Professor Bernard Quatermass, and especially the 1967 film adaptation of Quatermass and the Pit. While we’ve mentioned Nigel...
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We’re back and we’re mulling over bas-reliefs again. Once you start looking into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, the damn things are everywhere. We would say that there’s no relief from them, but that would be beneath us.
Main Topic: Lovecraft and Art
This episode is the first of a two-part look into the relationship between Lovecraft and art, and how this shaped the Cthulhu Mythos and Call of Cthulhu. Next episode, we’ll be flipping things around and looking for inspiration from the world of art, but here we’re examining the influence it had on Lovecraft’s life and fiction.
All that said, we do occasionally go off-topic in the latter half of the episode, but it’s all related!
Our Guest Host
We are delighted to welcome Kailas Elmer to the Good Friends! Kailas is the publisher of Trebuchet Magazine, an international art journal which has featured writings from our own Scott Dorward. There is also an associated podcast, for those who like to experience art with their ears.
Issue 17 of Trebuchet, titled “Destinations”, is now available at Barnes & Noble, WH Smith, and directly from trebuchet.com.
Links
Things we mention in this episode include:
- “Pickman’s Model” by HP Lovecraft
- Bas-relief
- Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans
- “The Call of Cthulhu” by HP Lovecraft
- E Hoffman Price
- The Hero’s Journey
- “Supernatural Horror in Literature” by HP Lovecraft
- Robert E Howard
- Romanticism
- Gothic horror
- Lord Dunsany
- Edgar Allan Poe
- Mervyn Peake
- At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft
- Clark Ashton Smith
- “The Music of Erich Zahn” by HP Lovecraft
- The King in Yellow by Robert W Chambers
- “Shiva, Open Your Eye” by Laird Barron
- The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by HP Lovecraft
- “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by HP Lovecraft
- The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft
- “Dagon” by HP Lovecraft
- “The Dreams in the Witch House” by HP Lovecraft
- The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1924)
- “The Whisperer in Darkness” by HP Lovecraft
- The condition of music quote
- Henry Fuseli
- “The Slave Ship” by JMW Turner
- Clive Barker’s artwork
- Michael Whelan
- Lovecraft’s Nightmare diptych
- “Lovecraft, AI, and the Limits of Human Imagination” from Trebuchet issue 8
- This person does not exist
- Slender Man
- Benadryl Hat Man
- Demon face illusion
- Pareidolia
- Uncanny valley
- David Cronenberg
- Videodrome (1983)
- Scanners (1981)
- Ring (1998)
- Francis Bacon
- David Lynch
- Op art
- “The Monkey’s Paw” by WW Jacobs
- Hellraiser (1987)
- Talk to Me (2022)
- Vigo the Carpathian
- Ghostbusters II (1989)
- “Cigarette Burns” from Masters of Horror
- Ancient Images by Ramsey Campbell
- Prince of Darkness (1987)
- Throat Sprockets by Tim Lucas
- Valancourt Books
- House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski
- The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
- The Number 23 (2007)
- William S Burroughs
- Robert Anton Wilson
- Principia Discordia
- Discordianism
- The Yellow Sign
- The Law of Fives
News
A Weekend With Good Friends
At the time this episode goes out, the latest Weekend With Good Friends will just have wrapped up. The feedback we’ve had from those who attended has been marvellous, and the bits we attended directly were terrific fun.
So, thank you to everyone who made all this happen! What PTroilus, Sue Savage and Mike Perceval-Maxwell did in terms of organisation, coding, and general problem solving was simply amazing. Miranda Adams and Nate Hughes made organising and running the panels look easy, which we know it very much is not, and we heard nothing but positive things from the other panellists. And, WishMoon, Ohio Dave, Mav, Martin, and the moderation team answered questions and generally kept things running smoothly throughout the weekend.
Thank you as well to everyone who offered games, took part in panels, and generally added to the energy of the convention. This has been a wonderful weekend and we are profoundly grateful to you all!
The Blasphemous Tome issue 14
Issue 14 of The Blasphemous Tome will be going to press later this month. This, of course, is the fanzine we publish for Patreon backers of The Good Friends of Jackson Elias. Each issue contains a brand-new, full-length, licensed Call of Cthulhu scenario, plus a variety of articles and artwork from ourselves and listeners.
Anyone backing us at the $5 level or higher by the end of June will receive a printed copy, signed by Matt and Scott. Those backing us at the $3 level will receive a voucher for a print-on-demand copy at cost. And anyone backing us at any level will receive a PDF copy, along with access to the full back catalogue of Tomes.
