So the few of you out there nerdy enough to actually know the original broadcast date of Orson Welles' presentation of War of the Worlds realize I'm a few days late on this, and to the four of you out there, I say, "Oh well." Before podcasts, when TVs were still a thing of the Devil's, people sat around and listened to radios for entertainment. On whichever frequency you managed to hop onto, you could get pretty much whatever you deemed entertaining - think audiobook versions of everything from Mad Men to 30 Rock. Airing on CBS' airwaves were radio dramas put up by New York drama company The Mercury Theatre on the Air, and on October 30, 1938, Orson Welles directed a broadcast that can only be described as the best unintentional prank in history. Rather than simply reading the prose of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, Orson Welles thought the people would get a better kick out of the narrative being presented as a series of breaking news broadcasts, and with most of the listeners tuning in after the introduction, all people heard were the news broadcasts of people dying and aliens attacking. Needless to say, quite a panic ensued.

And you thought Weather Balloon Boy was bad...

Welles Look at That Mix (artist name leads to site and all songs are right click - save as):
Bishop Allen - True or False
The Chalets - Feel the Machine
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Details of the War
Hot Chip - The Warning
Salty Pirates - The Alien Invasion
Say Hi - Let's Talk About Spaceships
Shonen Knife - Flying Saucer Attack

Labels: Mix