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About The Grog and Gryphon
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Where to begin?
I guess at the beginning.... My name is Bill Hollweg and I wrote, directed, produced/post produced and voice acted in this original tale of fantasy you have been- or are about to listen to. I hope that it transports you to another realm of wonder, magic and mayhem, for then it will have been a success for me. I ask for no donations, this was done for free because of a love of the medium and a love of this genre, and that is how it shall remain.
I would like to thank you- the listening audience, for giving The Saga of the Grog and Gryphon a chance. I hope you have enjoyed my tale of fantasy and will return again for more exploits in this mystical realm of mine. This is an ongoing series and it has just begun... There is so much more to come, in the episodes ahead, so please return in one month for the next chapter- The Lycanna Cometh; but bring yer broadsword and any spells ye may knows.... ‘Tis a bit dangerous in the lands these days!
Why a Fantasy Audio Drama?
Having just discovered the wonders of the Audio Drama medium in November of 2005, I also noticed that while there were incredible stories to listen to (just listen to Westlake films!), there was a near absolute lack of any tales of fantasy. I love Sci-Fi and Horror tales, but it surprised me that few if any were producing any fan fiction or original tales of fantasy, especially in light of the overwhelming success of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, and Harry Potter, at the cinema and in books; which is why I chose this genre, as well as my love of Celtic/Renaissance Faire music - this is a celebration of both art forms.
The Grog and Gryphon Tavern:
The Saga of the Grog and Gryphon tavern is a tale about the exploits of the characters who frequent the Grog and Gryphon tavern, located in the village of Hammerstoothe. Paul Mannering, a good friend of mine and a VA in tonight's production at Darker Projects Audio Productions (also home to wondrous tales of Horror and Sci-Fi), referred to it warmly as: “Cheers for the Dark Ages.”
That is as good a description as any, though this is not a comedic sitcom. It is a drama set in a mythic time of sword bearing heroes and magic of good and ill. There are elements which (hopefully) will bring a bit of mirth, but it is a drama in the tradition of Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings and Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. Truth be told, I wrote this tale as if Robert E. Howard had been tasked to write a saga in his harsh Conan style, yet set the story in Tolkein’s middle earth. While I LOVE Tolkein, and Howard’s Conan tales have been favorites of mine for as long as I can remember, Tolkein’s LOTR tales were more of a mythology, while Howard’s were action/adventure; a wild west tale set against a harsh and unforgiving fantasy landscape. Being that I live in Texas, located only about two hours away from the hometown of Robert E. Howard (Cross Plains, Texas), this was a great starting point for a story.
I am a fan of Battlestar Galactica (new and old series), and I had in mind a saga that would have some similarities in style (hopefully) to the way that the New BSG is put together. In the new series (BSG) there are 2 main plots, 1-the Cylons attempting to exterminate the Galactica and her ragtag fleet of survivors, and 2- the myth of the earth (13th Colony) and the continued search for it by the Galactica for sanctuary and an ally to stop the Cylons. These are the backbone of the story, while over the top of this are a ton of plots/subplots between the characters, which makes for a very rich and intriguing story, as opposed to just blowing up Cylons week-in and week-out... It is a story about people, but set in a sci-fi landscape.
The Grog and Gryphon, as I mentioned earlier, is a story about a Tavern on the fringe of known civilization (the D’Annulshire forest being the start of the unknown realms and the spawning ground for the evil in the land) and the characters who frequent it. That is the underlying theme. But the story, if I have succeeded, is about the people, similar in scope to Galactica.... I enjoy the fact that to watch Galactica, you cannot miss an episode or you are lost because so much has happened. I am attempting to do this with the Grog and its seeming cast of thousands... Bear with me, they all serve a purpose and are all intertwined in one manner or another...
I send out my warmest thanks to all the talented people who have shared in this dream of mine! I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart, Gareth and Andrew and all the incredible people at Westlake Films for allowing a guy living in West Texas to add his Audio Drama to their stellar collection of audio drama’s and films. I can’t say how indebted I am for your help!
The music...
The music for tonight’s tale was provided by: Peter Wicks of Westlake Films, check out his symphonic masterpieces here at the Westlake Films website. Other wondrous soundscapes were provided by: James Underburg, Devin Anderson, and Seraphic Panapoly- www.seraphicpanoply.com, all of whom I found at the Podsafe Audio website, if you haven’t visited www.podsafeaudio.com, you are missing out!
Next I would like to thank the Renaissance Faire/Celtic bands that have graciously allowed me to use their incredible music in this production. The Renn Faire bands heard in tonight’s tale are as follows:
--The Brobdingnagian Bards, check out: www.thebards.net The BARDS ROCK!
--Cantiga , check out: cantigamusic.com CANTIGA IS AWSOME!
--And Howl-O, Check them out at www.howl-o.com HOWL-O IS INCREDIBLE!
Go to their respective websites and you will find some truly amazing music, and I am honored to have the use of such majestic soundscapes to add texture to the Grog!
Thank you for listening! Again I thank all that assisted me in this production, especially to my wife for her love and understanding (and wonderful take on Arullia Swordcleaver!), and a special thanks to Gareth and Andrew for allowing this production to have a home at Westlake Films, and to you for listening. Please feel free to contact me and let me know what you think, my email address is billhollweg@gmail.com. I wish you all a good evening until next month when the magic and mayhem begin anew!
Bill HollwegOctober 2006
Story, characters and concepts copyright Bill Hollweg 2006
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