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Episode 408 - The Street That Wasn't There (Patreon)

Published:
2018-06-23 01:17:17
Edited:
2025-05-18 02:57:28
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Let's reconsider reality! It's The Street That Wasn't There by Clifford D. Simak and Carl Jacobi.

The Man Who Knew Too Little - New York Times article about sticking the ol' head in the sand.

Next up: Yesterday was Monday by Theodore Sturgeon

Comments

Richard Horsman

New episodes keep dropping while I'm in airports. Thanks for making Chicago Midway more bearable.

Sweatin' to the Great Oldies

Show for show, hour for hour, I know I can count on HPLP to deliver consistently great work. Great thanks for making hard work seem effortless. The story reminded me of the Mendala Effect. Could it be that we collectively misremember an Empire State Building existing? Surely it was always square circles and subterranean airships, no? A real thorax scratcher. Though I loved the story and the writing, I think it was a bit of a mistake to start out with the disappearance of things that really are so noticeable. Granted, it led to a more economic story, but I do love me the slow creep of the creepy. I wonder how it might have felt if they started off, for example, with a misplaced pen or the familiar struggle to locate one's car keys. The sort of side note in a story that we gloss over. And then we realize that the very act of glossing over might be removing those things from reality. And then it builds. Things disappearing from the backs of closets leading to the disappearance of the closets themselves. Didn't I have a basement? Whatever happened to my first love? Ah yes, of course, she moved to Carcosa.

William Rieder

There's an ongoing discussion in The Weird about Hauntology, in which a past (real or imagined) begins to irrupt into our present world (William Gibson's "The Gernsback Continuum" being a good SciFi example). This story seems to be it's evil twin, where we're the fake past and the "real" future (perhaps) is beginning to erase us.

Hermagoras (pronounced HerMAgoras)

God damn what a great episode and great story! A chilling ending. The more I listened, the more I was convinced that this story is a bit of a riff on the life and philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Kant spent his life in Königsberg, Prussia, and he famously took daily walks that were timed so precisely that the locals set their clocks by them. Kant also argued that our experience of reality is shaped (created, in some sense) by mind. Chambers in this story is sort of a Lovecraftian version of Kant.

E. Byron Nelson

Immanuel Kant was said to have had a precise daily regimen that included a never-varying walk from his house and back again, which neighbors supposedly could set their watches to; he was also said to have never ventured more than a few miles from this house in Königsberg. These legends aren't entirely true, but they do comprise a common notion of Kant's life that I think is being strongly alluded to and riffed on in this story. And more than just his lifestyle, I think Kant's philosophy of human knowledge, as put forth in his Critique of Pure Reason (a work which did not cause him to be kicked out of academia like Mr. Chambers , but which was either ignored or ridiculed when it was first published), taken to an absurd extreme, is what is behind the metaphysical theory of this story. Kant claims that material objects, as things in themselves, are forever inaccessible to us, but that the faculties of our perceiving minds condition these objects to give them the shape and nature they have for us. The fantastical leap this story makes comes in the idea that by changing, or subtracting, our perceptions, we might manifestly change the nature of the things in themselves-- which Kant does not claim. Anyway, thanks for introducing me to another cool weird tale I'd never have heard of otherwise!

Jon Hancock

“After we came out of the church, we stood talking for some time together of Bishop Berkeley’s ingenious sophistry to prove the non-existence of matter, and that every thing in the universe is merely ideal. I observed, that though we are satisfied his doctrine is not true, it is impossible to refute it. I never shall forget the alacrity with which Johnson answered, striking his foot with mighty force against a large stone, till he rebounded from it, ‘I refute it thus.'” - James Boswell, "Life of Samuel Johnson"

James Anthony

In the episode you ask why it wasn't an issue in the past when there were so many fewer people. I have an idea about that. There were fewer people, yes, but they were in closer proximity to one another. Being so much closer the effect of their collective will may have been stronger. A tribe of a hundred or so likely had an easier time maintaining their hold on the few blocks they experienced than a single man does. And if the alien minds he referred to have had a growing population, as we'd done, and hadn't just been through a population depleting event, such as the War in the story, they may have finally had the upper hand population-wise. It would also explain why the first explorers to a region would come back with fantastical tales, why isolated communities cling to collective narratives (such as those provided by religion and folklore), and why alone at night strange vistas and many tentacled things appear in the shadows... What was that? Is the last one not common? Just me then, okay.

Kenneth R. Gerety

I definitely had the sense from the get-go that this story can be viewed through the lens of someone experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease. The unpredictable deterioration of perspective, sense of place, etc. It had a strong ambiance of horror for me, just because of that inevitability of loss and yes, mortality, and I can imagine this story being told from a different character’s point of view as they observe what’s happening to Chambers. Could be either as this other character experiences similar phenomena (doo doo, do do do) or similar to that of again, a relative or neighbor watching Chambers mental degeneration.

STACIE SWANEY

The guy who lives on a farm and refused to listen to the news so he doesn't have to hear about Trump... My hero! I don't know how much more I can take. Even Cthulhu won't take him as a human sacrifice.

Cacodaemoniacal

Maybe why it didn't happen in the past because there wasn't the dominating personality looking down from the sky and leading the charge. He's a scientist, Philosopher or God of the other reality colonizing our reality by destroying it. The face looking down on them made me think of the Bottle World of Kandor--a tiny terrarium with the miniaturized capitol of Krypton in it (oh that Brainiac, he's such a kook). But of course,... maybe it did (spooky oooh inserted here). I just read a collection of stories on my Kindle, several of which centered on a similar, malleable-reality -shifting-as-metaphor for the loses of old age--"Shadows and Tall Trees 7" edited by Michael Kelly--Including one that seemed a riff on this story--"The Erased" by Steve Rasnic Tem. Gads, such gray grit! It may be reality, but without that sense of terrible awe that's in this story it ends up being like the Travel Agent Sketch in Monty Python <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2LaJOVAiA" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz2LaJOVAiA</a>

Clyde Duensing III

That guy that won’t listen to the news and feels his life is better for it… Not a new concept by any means. Take this quote from Ray Bradbury: “The news is all rapes and murders we didn't commit, funerals we don't attend, AIDS we don't want to catch. All crammed into a quarter of a minute! But at least we still have a hand with which to switch channels or turn off altogether. I tell my lecture audiences to never, ever watch local TV news.”

H P Lovecraft's Cat

I listen to Chillpak Hollywood Hour and the host Phil is a big fan of The Prisoner.He became close friends with Patrick McGoohan and he said for the last 20 years of his life he followed a strict routine of going to an open air cafe everyday and having coffee.So basically he became number 6 ,he didn’t travel or even go further that a few miles from his home.Once you get old enough the “news of the day’ is about as useful as 8 track radio player in an automobile today.Everything you consume has been pick over for you with only the presenter’s narrative,it has nothing to do with your reality just theirs.I feel sorry for people who consume media honestly,as a very young kid (11 to be exact)I actually went to the first run of the movie Network in the theater.At the time I probably didn’t understand completely but soon realized what the purpose of media was,simply a profit.Ned Beatty’s speech was simply brilliant.

Frank Lee

Not too bad, though having wikipedia does spoil the math behind the premise. Well, a science education in general spoils the premise, there was a lot of universe before us, a lot of just Earth before us. The obvious work around would have been to make the quick deaths of billions of people be the secret ingredient. Though it's not like it ruins the story, it's hardly a JJ Abrams movie.

Austin Tero

Chris isn't alone! Boat-picture Therapy really helped me with my psychosis as well!

Macabre Mittens

I really enjoyed this episode. It made me think of 'From Beyond' and what might happen if the narrator's shot had missed Tillinghast's machine and the entire population "awoke". Regarding the painting of the boat, I interpreted it as the protagonist clinging for an unchanged focal point as his reality began to shift. Just stare at the boat, and this will all be over soon!

Cameron Floyd

Fun episode! I loved the shout out to Mage: The Ascension. Also made me think of TORG which features malevolent forces vying for the possibility energy of Earth and reshaping areas around whole continents to suit their imposed vision of realities. Sadly I never got to play either game but I adored the Mage source book. Sons of Ether for life! Also the discussion of the 80's Twilight Zone made me think of the story "Slippage" from Tales from the Darkside. Where a man slowly ceases to exist. It's not a great episode but it reminded me a lot of this.

lauren ipsum

Ugh, no-news guy makes me really mad!!! How lucky you are, my dude, that you can ignore it and just trust that changes in the daily political environment aren't going to be detrimental to you. Sure okay the nuclear apocalypse will take you by surprise and that may be better than worrying about it before then -- I'll accept that there's nothing you can do about THAT. But to say that there's nothing you can do about things in the news in the US that are seriously negatively affecting LGBTQ+ people, and people of color, and people with disabilities, and all sorts of other minorities and disadvantaged people? False and also RUDE. Read the paper and call your fucking congressperson, bro. Read the paper and be prepared to stand up and protect someone getting harassed on the street because of the color of their skin or who they're holding hands with. Donate to orgs who are doing good work. Show up at the protests. Hiding from it only reveals you as an ignorant and uncaring ass.

Allison Albright

Where do I sign up to have all the stuff in the backs of closets I never think about disappeared? That sounds like a much better way to age compared to losing memory, hearing, stamina, loved ones, and the ability to understand the appeal of snap chat. Contrary to what might be the usual for the stories you guys cover, this story placed humans in an extremely important place in the scheme of things. Human consciousness is essential to keep the universe functioning as it should. Seems like a lot of pressure. Also, I'm so glad to have finally found a reliable gluten-free goth makeup supplier! I cannot tell you the trouble I've had with wheat products in my black lipstick. I'm sure you'll be giving Kat Von D a run for her money!

Mike J.

Nobody's gonna mention the name "Chambers" possibly being a play on the fact that this guy's virtually limited his life to just three rooms? Room = chamber? Or have I arrogantly brandished the lowest of the low-hanging fruit? ... I'll mention that I know Simak from "City," the stitched-together novel built around 8 short stories from 1944-51, with a kind of slow-growing, multi-pronged, end-of-man's-reign-on-Earth theme. I don't recall any particularly cosmic horror in it, or 'weird' stuff as HPL might have sought, but it is an interesting piece of midcentury SF.

cthulhusdream

@4:04 "...worked with John W. Campbell during his leadership at 'Astounding Astounding Science Fiction' and he also..." Double word there lol

Andrew Trnacek

What a truly terrifying concept just whole parts of the world disappearing and then your little bit going next. Hang on why can’t I hear my radio anymore...

Robert D.

Great show, strong story. Another interpretation that strikes me is that the war and disease leads to a collapse of social structures. So much of what for granted is just a convention: democracy, rule of law, minorities’ rights, civility, money, ... Recent events have shown that all of these are so vulnerable. And if we add a few disasters on top of that, who knows what will happen? That’s what this story made me think about. These topics were probably even more prominent in 1941...

Paul Meagher (Ma-her)

So many high-brow comments... let me demote the dialog. '1941' is a much maligned treasure. An excellent comedy by Spielberg with an all star cast. Holds up well and is worth going back for a revisit. Now, please resume your discussion of existential philosophy.

Cacodaemoniacal

So many stories about things disappearing. I was thinking about how I when on the rare occasions I do my nails I inevitably forget to do one nail on my left hand. I have to consciously look and see which nail I forgot because I always forget it. What if in the one brief moment of nail painting I only have 4 fingers? Hmmmm, maybe the act of painting my nails causes one of them to go the way of The Simpsons? I like that explanation way better than my usual "I have holes in my thinking." Although, as I get older it may not have the intended effect "Yes Mrs. Cacodaemoniacal, whatever you say Mrs. Cacodaemoniacal, take your medication please Mrs. Cacodaemoniacal.

Syl Lockhart

The reality shaping from mental focus in the story actually reminded me of Michael Chriton's "Sphere". In a sense, it has a strong touch of the weird like this story has, and even with the trapped sense of isolation, where the characters are in a submersible deep in the ocean. The imagery of the sea reminded me of this, as well as the misty outside seeming like an inky abyss. Also how tide can erode away lands and whatnot other evidence of life over time.

Sellers Burgener

I really enjoyed this story, especially the evocative descriptions and symbolism. I am in a neighborhood in Atlanta that is under an upheaval of change. I have to move our of my house because of gentrification and this really resonated with me. Stephen King also did a lot of this kind of thing with The Dark Tower, especially in the later books. It made me think of Donald Callahan, moving across different realities day by day where things were just a little different; and to the effects of the beams being destroyed and reality crumbling. I would be very surprised if he didnt take some inspiration from this story specifically. Great selection!

G. Monaldo

Following US news is simply monitoring the arrangement of deck chairs on the Titanic.

Hannah Kollef

What about before there were people - were dinosaurs holding reality together? Or were they the dreams of another species and then neanderthals took over? Which, continuing this train, might mean at some point reality was shaped by tardigrades? Also, how are all these recluses funding their isolation? I have so many questions.

Nickthulhu

I can't help but think this story was directly inspired by the life and beliefs of the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant. Just hear me out, I'll make a believer out of you too! He was a man obsessed with habit. He never set foot outside of his hometown Königsberg, Prussia but a few select times. He taught metaphysics there interestingly enough. But ever more interesting, he walked the same path every day at the same time, preferably alone, and it was said that the people of Königsberg would "set their clocks by him" since he was so punctual. Sound familiar? But if you're still not convinced, Kant invented a ground-breaking philosophy where he essentially attempted to combine Empiricism and Rationalism: two highly debated subjects of his day. He wasn't fired for it, true, but he did propose a revolutionary idea that "our experiences are structured by necessary features of our minds" (to quote from Wikipedia). He believed that objects cannot be understood "as is," what they truly are in themselves (the mystical), but rather only in the sense that the mind receives them and interprets them in an understandable form. Yet, let me blow your mind farther. The only things he thought we did receive a priori, prior to our experience of them in reality, are the concepts of "space and time," which are intuitive concepts that are needed because they are essential to our being able to understand reality. Space and time definitely seem to be an important part of this tale, hence the warping of space and complete loss of time at the end. Is all this a coincidence? I think not! Actually, I have no idea, but this story definitely brought Kant to mind.

G. Monaldo

Warning: Boredom. I think the story is inspired by Christian theology. "Logos," or the the "word" is the trinity of Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father, and is the animating and shaping principle of the world. The idea is borrowed from stoicism; so the "word" of an intelligence literally shapes matter, i.e., "let there be light, etc.". In this story, we literally see a new logos, or divine will, repossess and reform matter for a new world, presumably premised on a new logical paradigm of existence. However in this story, that ultimate logos is alien and hostile (or indifferent) to the existence of humanity.

Darble Yarble

For more weird fiction with powerful metaphors for getting old and forgetting, see Thomas Ligotti's Alice's Last Adventure. Warning: Some Neverending Story "Big Good Strong Hands"/Sandman's Martin Tenbones next-level sadness.

Haylen Brenagh

Hey fellas. I was really enjoying your coverage of this story because it brought so many other reflections to mind of how we will lose reality. Thanks for mentioning the Langoliers, which was a cool concept but kind of unfortunate in the video delivery - really, Pacman eats our yesterdays? Also a couple of recent weird stories by China Mieville (tried looking up the stories; couldn't find them - he's just too prolific). There is also a music video -- Madonna's "Four Minutes," wherein she and Justin Timberlake are dancing across a dystopian world for exactly four minutes before chunks of a black void consume them bodily. Lotsa fun!

James Anthony

Been a while, but I'm finally getting around to reading this one myself. It reminds me of the setting for the RPG Rifts. In that one the big war floods leylines with energy that causes them to surge, connecting the Earth with other places and dimensions (excuse for a kitchen sink setting). In this one the deaths weaken the hold the collective consciousness of Mankind has on the shape of the world.