The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) is a fictional radio drama podcast written and created by Julian Koster, and published by Night Vale Presents.[1] It is the fourth podcast to be released under the Night Vale Presents name. The podcast stars Koster as Julian the janitor, a shy, sensitive employee of the Eiffel Tower who dreams of joining the fictional radio show also titled The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, which is broadcast from a large ballroom at the top of the tower. Listeners of the podcast hear Julian the janitor's inner thoughts as he discusses his situations with The Narrator, played by Drew Callander, an imaginary voice only Julian can hear. In addition to the conversations in his head, Julian interacts with the staff and talent of The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air, notably voiced by actors such as John Cameron Mitchell, Cecil Baldwin, Tim Robbins, Charlie Day, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis.[2] One of the most prominent themes of the podcast is the pain of loneliness.[3] The first season of the podcasts comprised eight episodes as well as a bonus question and answer episode in which Koster answers questions submitted by fans.
| Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Starring | Julian Koster |
| Format | surrealism, paranormal |
| Language | English |
| Production | |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | October 4, 2016 |
| Related | |
| Website | Official website |
From June to July 2017, the podcast released "an Orbiting Human Circus Special," titled "The 2nd Imaginary Symphony," which served as the official wide-release of Koster's 2002 album.[4]
It was announced in January 2017 that the podcast would return for a second season. The season, titled "Naughty Till New Years," premiered on November 6, 2019.[5]
Production
editThe podcast was in development for several years prior to its eventual release, based on ideas Koster had been developing. Some of Koster's dialogue was recorded in his spare time during the Neutral Milk Hotel reunion tour, while Mitchell recorded much of his during his run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway, both events having occurred over a year before the series' release.[6] Koster cites British humor, specifically The Goon Show, as inspiration for some of the podcast's absurdism, in that jokes are delivered with little time for the audience to process the information.[6]
To ensure authenticity, Koster employs equipment appropriate for the radio show world. All of Drew Callander's lines as the narrator are delivered through an authentic RCA Ribbon microphone from the 1930s.[6]
Episodes
editSeason One
edit| Title | Running Time (Min:Sec)[7] | Release Date[7] |
| Episode 1 | 27:01 | Oct. 11, 2016 |
| Episode 2 (The Cricket) | 32:08 | Oct. 25, 2016 |
| Episode 3 | 26:46 | Nov. 8, 2016 |
| Episode 4 (The Janitor's Nights) | 21:12 | Nov 22, 2016 |
| Episode 5 | 22:02 | Dec 6, 2016 |
| Episode 6 | 23:52 | Dec 20, 2016 |
| Episode 7 | 20:21 | Jan 10, 2017 |
| Episode 8 | 30:15 | Jan 24, 2017 |
| The 2nd Imaginary Symphony - An Orbiting Human Circus Holiday Special | 67:04 | November 20, 2018 |
Season Two
edit| Title | Runtime | Release date |
| Firstly, the Janitor | 40:00 | November 6, 2019 |
| Secondly, the Past | 29:20 | November 20, 2019 |
| Thirdly... How to Disappear (Lessons I and II of III) | 23:04 | December 4, 2019 |
| Fourthly... How to Disappear (Lesson III of III) | 12:26 | December 11, 2019 |
| The Orbiting Human Circus Holiday Vacation | 30:47 | December 18, 2019 |
| Fifthly, Do You Dream? | 25:16 | January 8, 2020 |
| Sixthly, the Flea Talks | 23:16 | January 22, 2020 |
| Seventhly, the Gift | 22:21 | February 5, 2020 |
| Eighthly, a Booth by the Seaside | 30:41 | February 20, 2020 |
| Ninthly, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner! | 29:16 | March 4, 2020 |
| Tenthly, a Time for Dreamers | 31:24 | March 18, 2020 |
| Eleventhly, It's a Scream (part 1) + Season Recap | 19:24 | May 6, 2020 |
| Twelfthly, It's a Scream (part 2) | 26:01 | May 13, 2020 |
| Season Finale, Part One | 29:52 | May 27, 2020 |
| Season Finale, Part Two | 49:30 | June 17, 2020 |
Extras
edit| Title | Running Time (Min:Sec)[7] | Release Date[7] |
| The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air) – Teaser | 2:35 | Oct. 4, 2016 |
| Bonus Episode (your questions) | 30:10 | Feb. 7, 2017 |
| The Orbiting Human Circus in Naughty Till New Years: Trailer | 3:42 | Oct. 23, 2019 |
| The Orbiting Human Circus Holiday Vacation | 29:46 | Dec. 18, 2019 |
References
edit- ^ Verdier, Hannah (2016-10-20). "The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air): for those who like their podcasts strange". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- ^ "Credits | The Orbiting Human Circus". Orbitinghumancircus.com. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
- ^ Wacek, Michele Pariza (July 2020). Olsher, Steve (ed.). "The Orbiting Human Circus: A Tale of Loneliness and Desire" (PDF). Podcast Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 6. San Diego, CA. pp. 43–46. ISSN 2690-4608. OCLC 1140254648. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
- ^ "An Orbiting Human Circus Special: The 2nd Imaginary Symphony, Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ Reid, Mike. "Julian Koster (The Music Tapes, Neutral Milk Hotel) preps second season of The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)". Tinymixtapes.com. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "The Orbiting Human Circus". Feeds.wnyc.org.
- ^ a b c d "Google Play Music is no longer available". Music.youtube.com. Retrieved 10 November 2021.