When I worked for The Contributor, Nashville's street newspaper, my favorite part of the paper to edit and read was the "Hoboscopes" section. So when I heard the writer of my beloved wonky astrology section, Mr. Mysterio, was putting out a podcast, I must say I was more than a bit elated.
I have quite a few of my Mysterio-written Pisces fortunes saved, but one that I come back to often is one that ran in The Contributor in April: "As I sat down to write this horoscope, Pisces, something strange happened. A moving van pulled up in front of my apartment. I thought maybe I was getting new neighbors, or maybe losing some neighbors that I’d never bothered to meet. But instead a man got out of the truck, opened the back door and started sweeping all the dust out. You may be expecting some big change, Pisces. But I think first you’re going to have to sweep the dust out."
The hazy tone (sprinkled with a few horribly incredible puns) of Mr. Mysterio's writing voice has always appealed to me — a fortune for the uncertain, written by the uncertain. As cheesy as it sounds, Mr. Mysterio's musings always seemed to reflect more of the journey than the destination. And the podcast definitely hits that mark.
The inaugural episode of the twice-monthly show, which launched July 20 and can be found on iTunes, proves the podcast will be more than just some rando reading horoscopes into a microphone. The first episode gently pushes you into the world of Mr. Mysterio, an insecure yet witty character, and begins what has the potential to turn into a long narrative. It's the story of someone looking to connect — something we can all relate to — and it all happens at a video rental and tanning place.
The podcast is created, written and produced by Mark Lemley and edited and produced by Tasha A.F. Lemley, who is also the founder of The Contributor. The show features the voices of Aaron Muñoz, Evelyn O'Neal Brush, David Ian Lee, Lauren Berst, Chris Bosen, Tamara Todres, Colin McCann, Chris Brush with sound Engineering by Chris Brush and some additional direction by Evelyn O’Neal Brush and Music by Winston Harrison.
