Entering Night Vale

In one reality Night Vale is a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep (Pilot). In another it is a bi-monthly podcast presented as a community radio show. It is narrated by Night Vale radio host Cecil Palmer, though other citizens of Night Vale make guest appearances. One of Welcome to Night Vales creators Joseph Fink describes Night Vale as “a town in the desert where all conspiracy theories were real” (Interview). The paranormal to the unimaginable not only exists but is accepted as a part of everyday life. Strange hooded figures, a vague yet menacing government agency, creatures named Erika who are definitely not angels and the constant threat of impending doom are viewed as the norm by the citizens of Night Vale. As Cecil once said “A couple neighbourhoods are emptied out, sure, with books and food and televisions left where they had been at the time of the sudden vanishing, a tableau of the life that never again will be. But it wouldn't really be a weekend without that happening somewhere, right?” (First Date).
Having reached 1^st on the American, Australian and British itunes podcast charts and with over 25 hours’ worth of content Welcome to Night Vale is still going strong (Welcome to Night Vale, 2014). As the main podcast is free the show is funded by donation, merchandise sold through their store and sales from live shows. These lives shows feature new content, special guests and live music, often selling out within minutes (Stats). Luckily these shows are recorded and can be downloaded for pay what you want.

However with (at the time of writing this) 55 episodes already out, not including the live shows, and continuity and call backs playing a key role in its narrative getting into Welcome to Night Vale may seem like a daunting task.  Do not be afraid, unless of course it is street cleaning day then RUN! RUN! FORGET YOUR CHILDREN AND LEAVE BEHIND THE WEAK! RUN! If it is not street cleaning day then do not be afraid (Street Cleaning Day).  While I would recommended starting from the first episode, through this blog I plan to write a catch-up post for those people wanting to start from one of the more recent episodes, as well as character guides and event explanations. For those readers who are already familiar with Welcome to Night Vale I also plan to post episode discussions and other thoughts I may have. So long as these thoughts are approved by the sheriff’s secret police.

Trapped on Route 800

When I first started listening to Welcome to Night Vale 22 episodes had already been released. It took me 3 days to catch up and since then the 1^st and 15^th have always been my most anticipated days of the month.

Listening to Welcome to Night Vale is like learning a new language. Only one of my friends listens to and when we get to talking about it everyone around us just looks dazed and confused. When I try to explain to my parents why I support the Faceless Old Woman who lives in your home over Hiram McDaniels who is literally a five head in the mayoral elections, or why I’m freaking out because station management have left their offices I’m met with blank looks. While at times it can feel lonely speaking the language of Night Vale it also feels a bit like being part of a secret club, a very large non-exclusive secret club.

One of Welcome to Night Vales greatest assets is its writing. It is a brilliant mix of dark and twisted and light and humorous that really appeals to my sense of humour. I often have to listen to it on my own so that I don’t get strange looks for randomly bursting out laughing. Another aspect of the writing that I love is that nothing is forgotten. Something that happen a year and a half ago could be referenced again and you know that characters that come up once will appear again. Stories feel like that are progressing in real time and it is easy to become invested in the town and its inhabitants. And boy am I invested.

After every episode I have the urge to rant, rave and discuss what has happened. From talking about my feelings on an episode to conspiracies for the future to symbolism I spotted, keeping my thoughts and opinion to myself is nay impossible, with my parents often suffering through my rants. Writing about it seems like a much more sensible idea.