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Episode 505 - A Matter of Fact (Patreon)

Published:
2020-06-27 15:37:18
Edited:
2024-12-12 19:02:11
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

When it comes to sea monsters, can we believe anybody? Rudyard Kipling's A Matter of Fact tackles the hard issues!

Special thanks to our reader, Marty Jopson – LET HIM BLIND YOU WITH SCIENCE!

Next up: Some comments and then THEW-LY!!!

Comments

Sanjay Mathew

Woo Kipling! As an ethnic Indian, I find his racial views problematic but he's a fascinating writer nonetheless, with a wonderful way with words. Upon re reading the story there's something very interesting to be said about Kipling's treatment of British newspapers and constructed British nationalist reality but I've had a few beers and can't concretise it.

Ant Farmer

Have you guys thought about doing any movie commentary tracks? Color Out of Space would be a good candidate but maybe Lovecraft-inspired movies like the Void or In the Mouth of Madness?

Mandy Reznor (She/It)

You're covering "Queen of the Black Coast" next? Oh. o h n o . On the British Empire just moving slavery around under a different name, it's depressing that that's just the way it happened. Here in the States slavery was only made illegal for those *not convicted of a crime,* meaning prisoners could still be used as a source of free labor. Couple that with rampant over-policing and criminalizing of black and brown people and it's SSDD. On the story itself I don't have much to say. I do have an urge, though, to go back through your catalogue and collect all the tales starring journalists to see what that pool is like. Off the top of my head I know there's this, "The Night Wire," and..."The Day of the Dragon."

MonsterTalk

I kept thinking: "If you sea-monster something, say monster something." It's weird though - when this was published in 1892 "The great moon hoax" of 1835 was well behind us and "the great airship mystery" series of newspaper stories were just around the corner. The idea that journalists were avatars of "Truth" seems a bit ridiculous - but perhaps Kipling was being aspirational?

Philip Cowan

I wonder if this statue of Kipling is now under threat? https://burwashparish.org.uk/rudyard-kipling-returns-to-burwash/ Anyway, I should maybe be more interested in this story than I am, given that I teach Journalism, but I find it rather anticlimactic. Besides, it is not convincing that a whole ship’s crew and passengers saw this thing and couldn’t convince an editor that they all at least claimed it was true. An artist’s sketch of the beast and a headline such as: ‘From the Depths of the Sea?’ Then a sub-heading: ‘the whole crew and passengers of a streamer swear blind they spotted this creature.’ I think Kipling has wasted the ‘and you never read it in the papers because no one would believe it’ ending on a less than involving tale. On a positive note, I take it ‘the fiction’ the main protagonist says he will write is this story? I think that is neat, because therein lies a suggestion that the story is true; or is it? By the way, maybe - as I do - you like to listen to the stories. If so, the LibriVox version of this (chapter 6 of A Kipling Reader) is read in quite a lively fashion. Goes without saying, of course, another great show and I can’t wait until the thousandth episode. If my dicky heart is still going by then. Even so, I will still be there, listening from beyond!

Sweatin' to the Great Oldies

There have to be 10,000 quotes out there dancing around the theme - "I wanted to tell the truth, so I wrote fiction" - and they all smell like alligators.

Ravewolf

Tasting planets sounds like a bad idea, but then there's the famous Chocolate Planet to consider.

Christine M

I like to read this in a way Kipling 100% did not intend. All these men see a second, female creature and assume it's a supportive mate. But in reality, it has mortally wounded the male creature and appears distressed because it's been fighting to the death! But of course, the old timey dudes can't see this truth, because once they coded the creature as female, they can't see her as dominant or violent - only as a secondary, submissive helpmeet. (One also wonders how these journalists so easily sex unknown sea creatures - I assume the female had long eyelashes and a bow on her head?)

Matthew Bizzell

This episode was a blast. I want to commend you guys for acknowledging Kipling's problematic politics AND for Chris's jokes! P.S. I'm a 10,000 alligators guy.

Stewart

This was a fun sea-story, and I quite enjoyed Kipling's commentary on the way truth is presented. It reminded me a little of, many years ago, when I was on one of those educational sailing schooner trips, and we did a deep sea Neuston Tow (I think that's the term), and pulled up a bunch of deep sea creatures. Though very small, most of them were Lovecraftian horrors in miniature unto themselves. The pressure differential killed most of them very quickly, but there was one nasty looking eel type creature with sharp teeth, which was very alive and very angry. All of which is to say, you could tell me just about anything came up from the deep sea and my response would be "That checks out"

Phil Estabrook

After all these years I still enjoy getting those little glimpses into the inner workings of Chris and Chad. This episode was all Chris. When Chad mentioned the monster might be similar to the kraken in Clash of the Titans, Chris breathily exclaimed "Ohhh yeah, I like that" and I think I almost heard him moistening his lips...

Snaught

The "ground tasting," completely came up last night when sharing the joy of The Stuff with my kids last night. Bubbly white crap coming out of the ground, the guy's first instinct is to taste it.

Shana Carter

Personally, the first thing that pops into my head when Kipling is mentioned is, "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din." As for "A Matter of Fact," to paraphrase CRIMSON PEAK, it's not a monster story, it's a story with a monster in it.