Urban Fantasist
Menu
Picture
Follow @urbanfantasist
We're living in dangerously weird times... smart people just shrug and admit they're dazed and confused

Celebrating a Magical Battle

19/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Time to commemorate a famous battle – and not just any battle but a magical battle – which took place on the 19th April in the year 1900. The location was Number 36 Blythe Road in the Olympia/Hammersmith area of West London and the battle – or 'astral siege' as it has been described – was an attempt to seize control of the premises of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, one of the leading ritual magic organisations operating in England at that time. On the attack was our old friend Aleister Crowley, who believed he was the right person to lead the Order. Opposing him was the Irish poet William Butler Yeats.

There was also an element of personal animosity between the two men: Yeats thought Crowley was a drug taking moral degenerate and sexual deviant. Quite an accurate character summary as it happens, while Crowley thought Yeats' poetry was rubbish. Not quite so accurate as later in life Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his poetry.

On the day of the battle Crowley showed up at the doors of the Golden Dawn’s premises dressed in a Highland kilt and the headdress of a priest of the Egyptian god Osiris. Yeats however had taken the precaution of hiring a 'professional pugilist' – in other words a boxer – to act as his bodyguard. Crowley took the hint and slunk away in defeat – and would soon after quit the Golden Dawn to set up his own rival magic order.

If you think Yeats cheated by hiring a heavy, Crowley actually hired two enforcers but they arrived late (their Tube train was delayed at Earls Court) by which time the battle had finished. And that was the battle of Blythe Road – Gandalf versus Saruman (or Harry Potter versus Voldermort) it was not. Today you can order a takeaway sandwich or a coffee from George’s Cafe, which occupies the ground floor of number 36, the former home of the Golden Dawn.
0 Comments

That Alien Abduction - was it all just a bad dream?

16/4/2021

0 Comments

 
In this week's Weird Tales Radio Show our guest is psychologist Dr Brian Sharpless, who has been researching the connection between sleep disorders, such as sleep paralysis, and paranormal and folkloric phenomenon including werewolves, alien abductions, and shadow people. We also look at Prince Philip’s roles as a South Pacific god and the godfather of UK computer hacking law. And we also discover that the woman who unleashed 'This Smells Like My Vagina' candles on the world is rated over twice as awful as Genghis Khan who was responsible for the death of millions of people.

Links: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brian-A-Sharpless/e/B01E606M42 

+ http://briansharpless.com/ 

+ https://global.oup.com/academic/search?q=sharpless&cc=gb&lang=en

0 Comments

Can 'Liquid Luck' improve your odds in a casino?

9/4/2021

0 Comments

 
In this week's Weird Tales Radio Show our guest is Dr Joseph Gallenberger, a psychologist and psychokinesis expert who has spent 30 years exploring the ways PK can not only help healing but also improve your luck when it comes to playing the slots and dice in casinos. Liquid Luck he calls it. And we also have video news, Royal news – no not Harry and Meghan but the late Duke of Edinburgh's interest in UFOs (we recorded the show Tuesday).

Links: https://www.urbanfantasist.com 
+ 
https://www.youtube/c/weirdtalesshow 
+ 
http://www.synccreation.com 
+ 
http://www.innervegas.com 
+ 
www.liquidluckbook.com 
+ 
https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Gallenberger/e/B00C2SJNJ2
0 Comments

Just feed that Dragon some Parkin!

8/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
One of the topics I frequently get asked about during radio show interviews is dragons. I don't know why, perhaps I look like a dragon slaying guy? But it does give me the opportunity to talk about my favourite dragon story...

According to legend, the town of Filey on the east coast of Yorkshire was once terrorised by a fierce dragon. But then the locals tricked it into eating a large amount of Parkin (a soft, sticky ginger cake made with oatmeal and black treacle). When the dragon dived into the sea to wash the cake out from between its teeth, the locals ambushed the dragon and drowned it.

It is said that what are now the rocks of Filey Brigg (the long neck of rock that stretches out for nearly a mile to provide Filey Bay with its sheltered aspect) are the dragon’s fossilised bones.
0 Comments

Vorsprung durch Mathmatik

5/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Tales from the London Underground - it's Weird Tales time again

3/4/2021

0 Comments

 
In this week's Weird Tales Radio Show our guest is Geoff Marshall, a video producer and author based in London who over the last few years has built a huge following on YouTube for his travel and transport videos, not just about the London Tube but the whole UK railway network. Talking of which since 2017 he has visited all 2563 railway stations in England, Wales and Scotland. It’s a geek-fest this week but you’ll enjoy it as Geoff’s enthusiasm is infectious.

Links: https://www.geofftech.co.uk/index.html 
+ 
https://www.geofftech.co.uk/youtube.html 
​+ 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Geoff-Marshall/e/B07GP8RSRJ
0 Comments

Calling All Poets: Your Short Works Needed for a New Anthology

1/4/2021

0 Comments

 
Calling all poets... I’m the editor of this year’s Dwarf Stars anthology for the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association – submissions open today (1st April) and close on 1st May. No entry fee + you can nominate your own work/s AND you don’t have to be an SFPA member. Key criteria: 10 lines or under – haiku welcome – and the work/s nominated must have been published during 2020. Full details here... https://www.sfpoetry.com/ds/dsguide.htm

Science Fiction Poetry Association

Dwarf Stars Guidelines DWARF STARS NOMINATIONS OPEN APRIL 1 2021 Dwarf Stars Editor: Charles Christian Charles Christian is an English barrister and Reuters correspondent turned writer, editor, podcaster, award-winning tech journalist, sometime werewolf hunter (no seriously, an English newspaper once commissioned him to go on a werewolf hunt) and now a chronicler of weird tales in weird times.

0 Comments

Vital Statistics: that ship stuck in the Suez Canal

31/3/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
There has been a lot of interest shown in recent days over the fate of the M.V. Ever Given, the giant container ship that was stuck in the Suez Canal for a week, so let's look at some vital statistics:

• As you can see, the Ever Given is 1.33 U.S.S. Enterprises in length.

• If you are not happy with starships as an international unit of measurement, I can off you the red London double-decker bus as an alternative: the Ever Given is the equivalent of 47.6 classic Routemaster buses in length (these are the buses that were the mainstay of London transport for 50 years). The Enterprise equates to 36.3 buses.

• If we take our standard as the New Routemaster (which has been in use in London since 2012) then the Ever Given is 35.5 buses in length, while the Enterprise clocks in at 27 buses.

Please feel free to submit any mathematical problems you may have and our team will be pleased to help you.
0 Comments

Here's a blast from the past during the height of the Hull werewolf panic

29/3/2021

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Don't Forget the Can-Opener - it's Weird Tales Time

27/3/2021

0 Comments

 
In this week's Weird Tales Radio Show we look at the world of prepping – preparing for those disasters, natural or man-made, sometimes a bit of both, we hope will never happened. We are joined by Thomas Gomez, head of research at The Prepared, an excellent online resource for everything you could ever want to know about prepping – including reminders not to forget the can-opener before you lock yourself in your bunker!

Links: https://www.theprepared.com
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Mainly Weird Tales, Folklore & Geek Culture

    Here to inform and entertain you with tales of geek, folklore and the weird. "Fun and high strangeness" is how one reader described it. Prone to sarcasm.

    Curated by Reuters correspondent and barrister turned writer, podcaster, editor, award-winning tech journalist and sometime werewolf hunter Charles Christian. The site also has links to Charles Christian's books and latest reviews plus his Weird Tales Radio Show.

    Charles was born a 'chime child' with a caul – according to legend a caul-shrouded chime-child can't drown at sea but can see and talk to ghosts and fairy folk without fear of coming to harm – superpowers he's so far never needed to employ.

    Vital Statistics

    Weird Tales Radio Show now goes out on syndication across 40 FM & internet radio stations, as well as all major podcast platforms plus Spotify, Mixcloud, SoundCloud, TuneIn Radio, YouTube, RSS & Amazon Music.
    Picture
    Click the <Play> button below to hear the latest show. Follow this link Weird Tales Radio Show to access archive.
    Picture
    Tweets by urbanfantasist

    Virtual Tip Jar

    You can now support Urban Fantasist, its podcasts and its new video channel through our Virtual Tip Jars on PayPal, Ko-fi and Patreon, giving you a choice of ad hoc or regular payments.
    Picture
    Picture

    Contact Details

    Email: urbanfantasist@icloud.com
    ​Tel: +44(0)1986 788666
    Tel/Txt: +44(0)7786 738172
    WhatsApp etc: +44(0)7786 738172

    ​Skype: ChristianUncut
    Twitter: @urbanfantasist

    Quote, Unquote

    "Charles Christian... a man of paranormality" ...Howard Hughes, Talk Radio UK

    "A great witty intelligence in the world. We need more CC and less monkey-brained politicians" ...Julia Bohanna

    "Just found the show, absolutely love it. Will be tuning in regularly and catching up."

    "You are a great and generous host" ...Patti Negri, The Hollywood Psychic

    "You have a pleasant way of conducting an interview" ...Terje Simonsen

    "I host a daily morning show in Las Vegas and I like your shows very much. I love the way you pace your voice and thoughts is fantastic and you have a way of making your guest interviews sound more like conversations. Just wanted to let you know" ...Clay Baker

    ​"The ever wonderful Charles Christian and his Weird Tales Radio Show"...Into The Portal Podcast 

    ​"The Master of Mysteries & Folklore" ...Fantasy Radio UK

    "The witty and knowledgeable Charles Christian." 

    ​"We poled our fans on their favorite podcasts and that's how I heard of Weird Tales Radio. You are well loved by the geekiverse, and fans of folklore history and monsters!"

    "Charles Christian is really out there cool."
    ​
    ​"Check out Urban Fantasist for more fun and strangeness."

    ​"Charles Christian defiantly makes my world a brighter, funnier place."

    "
    Wonderful show tonight full of all the usual delights we've come to expect."
    ​
    "The legendary Charles Christian at his eclectic best... his insight and humour alone make this a must-read blog."

    "Charles Christian is my inner spirit animal, thank you for making me laugh."

    ​"You always make me laugh! Thank you for brightening my day with your dark humour."

    ​"the funny, wonderful and slightly cantankerous Charles Christian"

    "Carlsberg don't make clients, but if they did... they'd be Charles Christian"

    "His tech journalism is always witty. He has a talent for pricking the overblown claims of suppliers."

    "Charles Christian does awesome!"
    Picture

    Charles Christian's Books

    Clicking on the links will take you to the Amazon previews of each book.
    Picture
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087N3NB7M
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B087N3NB7M
    Picture
    ​https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MELTC84
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MELTC84
    Picture
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07DKCKPT
    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DKCKPT

    RSS Feed


    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Picture
Picture
Copyright © Charles Christian 
& WordsandVision Limited 2021
​Powered by green tea and pink wine
Tel: +44 (0)1986 788666
Tel/Txt: +44 (0)7786 738172
urbanfantasist@icloud.com
Contact Address: Oak Lodge, Darrow Green Road, Denton, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0AY, United Kingdom

Weird Tales, Folklore & Geek Culture

  • Home
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Interviews & Speaking
  • Charles Christian Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Non Fiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel
  • Home
  • Weird Tales Radio
  • Charles Christian Bio
  • Interviews & Speaking
  • Charles Christian Books & Reviews
  • * Fiction
  • * Non Fiction
  • * Poetry
  • All My Links
  • Old Americana
  • Old Grievous Angel