OK, so "on the radio's" not really the right phrase there. But "on the InterWebs" doesn't really have the same ring, does it? (I almost never listen to the actual radio, come to think of it. Only when I'm driving, really. And I'm never driving; I walk everywhere.)
But I digress. Back to the radio and Ray Bradbury. Here, thanks to the good (and endlessly-curious) folks at OpenCulture and the equally good-and-curious folks at Archive.org, is a series of radio dramas based on eight of the 22 short stories from Bradbury's "The Golden Apples of the Sun." The collection's title comes from W. B. Yeats poem, "The Song of Wandering Aengus," and this particular dramatization series contains "The Golden Apples of the Sun," "Hail and Farewell," "The Flying Machine," "The Fruit At The Bottom Of The Bowl," "A Sound of Thunder," "The Murderer," "The April Witch," and "The Foghorn."
I haven't listened to all of 'em yet, but the old-timey flavor is seriously great. I've always loved the old-timey radio sound, to be honest. Partially because I love throw-backs and old technology. But partially because it "lowers the stakes" a bit.
Remember Welles' wild "War of the Worlds" broadcast that panicked a nation? It's such a great story. But at the same time, it's hard to imagine it happening today. We've grown more discerning -- or is that jaded? -- in our listening habits, and pulling something like that off nowadays would require a far slicker, more meticulously orchestrated product.
That very simplicity makes it easier for me to listen to old-time broadcasts as stories, in a way. Because they have a tinge of fantasy and of unrealness to them that I quite enjoy.
And speaking of enjoyment, here. Enjoy!
