Be mighty, and keep your axes sharp!
I was never the punk that Bobby McGarvey or Stevie Saturn were in “Cubicle Punks,” but I do have something in common with them: I have always struggled with certain things that come with a “responsible” job.
The pull between a day job that pays the bills and pursuing one’s dreams is a recurring theme in several of my stories.
I talk about it on this episode of Behind the Cut…
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Two aging punks come to grips with who they once were…and what they’ve become today.
Content Advisory: Swearing. Drug and alcohol use. A small fight. Mention of violence (a large, back-alley fight). Midlife crisis. Dissatisfaction with work and life.
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Credits:
Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Punk Rock Opera
Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund
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A real book inspired “The Art of the Lumberjack.” That book? The Sport of Falconry.
According to the inscription, the book was given to me by my father on January 11, 1975.
This four-and-a-half minute episode is about how a book I’ve had for 41 years led to one of the best short stories I’ve ever written…
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A year ago, I posted the first Not about Lumberjacks story. In honor of the show’s anniversary, I keep with tradition and refuse to even mention those foul-mouthed tree droppers!
When Erik Nilsson has a minor heart attack and is told to take some forced time off of work to recuperate, he finally reads a book left to him by his father much earlier in life. What he finds hidden among the pages changes him forever…
Content Advisory: Mention of suicide by shotgun. Overbearing parent (mother). Protagonist dealing with a medical issue (a minor heart attack).
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Credits:
Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Broke for Free
Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund
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If you listened to “Purvis,” it’s probably clear that I spent a lot of time when I was younger playing Dungeons and Dragons and being picked on.
If you’ve not listened to “Purvis,” I suggest you listen to the story first because there are some big spoilers in this behind-the-scenes look at the story.
But this is not wholly about what it was to be bullied — it’s also a celebration of a game that saved my life and made me the person I am today.
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In 1984, a Dungeon Master struggles with keeping the few friendships he has together, all while dealing with a vicious bully. When Dungeons and Dragons is your only reprieve from the cruelties of life, the game becomes much more than recreation: it becomes a place of salvation.
Content Advisory: This story is rough. It contains swearing, alcoholism, child abuse, teasing, bullying, obsession, depression, misogyny, violence (classroom fighting and a brutal fight at the end), and the death of the protagonist.
It is also my favorite ending of anything I’ve ever written.
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Credits:
Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Chad Crouch
Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund
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Fly Me to the Moon came about in an old writing group. Find out how three basic elements led to the story…and how different it was from other stories composed of the same pieces.
(Also, find out how Mad Man Morgan got his name…)
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A homeless man who talks with birds is convinced he can talk with his dead wife on the moon…if only he can fix a broken radio he found in a dumpster.
Content Advisory: Swearing, mention of alcohol use, depression, dementia, death of a spouse, suicide involving a grotesque brain penetration.
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Credits:
Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Chad Crouch
Story and Narration: Christopher Gronlund
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“Standstill” is one of those stories that turned into something more than I expected. People seem to really like this story, and I must say I like it enough that I want to do more with it in the future.
I’ve bumped into that problem with all the new stories I’ve written for Not About Lumberjacks.
(It’s not a bad problem to have…)
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When she was 18 — for her high school graduation — Maddy was given a pocket watch by her grandfather…along with the warning that it does more than just tell time.
Eighteen years later, she uses the button on the watch her grandfather told her to use with caution. What happens after clicking the button changes the lives of Maddy and her husband, Aaron.
A heartfelt tale about time and love…and the effect the two things have on us all…
Content Advisory: Swearing, sudden onset of cancer, death of a spouse, self doubt.
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Credits:
Music: Ergo Phizmiz and Christopher Costanza
Story and Narration: Cynthia Griffith and Christopher Gronlund
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