The Orbiting Human Circus · WNYC Studios and Night Vale Presents

Naughty Till New Years: Eighthly, a Booth by the Seaside

February 20, 2020·31 min·2 clips

What did the janitor's great-grandfather's uncle hide in shoeboxes that made gangsters vanish forever?

The story is barely here. The transcript is mostly sponsorship copy, starting with Total Wine & More and Odoo before any scene has room to breathe. A spell seems ready to form, then the ads take over again. Patios, bourbon, business software, insurance, grills, conversation sets, and spring getaways keep crowding the frame, so the excerpt becomes a record of everything surrounding the episode instead of the episode itself. The circus does peek through for a moment. A short Orbiting Human Circus promo says music from the show is being released by Merge Records throughout the season. That is the warmest piece of the sample. It sends listeners toward the full vocal version of Into the River Thames on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Bandcamp, and more. After that, the copy goes back to business. Total Wine returns with spring weekends, blooming yards, fired grills, Cabernet, curbside pickup, delivery, and the usual reminder to drink responsibly. Liberty Mutual changes the pace with a morning-commute pop quiz about months with 28 days, a drying towel, and keys that cannot open locks. Home Depot follows with Spring Black Friday pricing on grills and patio furniture, including specific products and sale prices. Odoo comes back near the end with connected enterprise applications for accounting, inventory, and sales. Last-minute deal copy closes things out with spring travel, mountain escapes, beach weeks, sightseeing, and average savings. The dramatic episode remains offscreen. From this excerpt alone, the honest summary is an inventory of ad breaks and one music promo circling a fiction segment we do not really hear. The title promises a story. The transcript mostly gives patio tables, software suites, insurance riddles, and one small doorway back into the Orbiting Human Circus world.

As heard by us

A patient episode that keeps its atmosphere intact even through the sponsor seams.

This episode stays with mood first, and that choice works even when the sponsor breaks and closing credits interrupt the flow. Music from The Orbiting Human Circus is being released by Merge Records throughout the season, which suits a production that feels careful about how it…

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Why you'd press play

Press play for an Orbiting Human Circus episode that keeps returning after the sponsor breaks.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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