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Desert Oracle Radio

Ken Layne

Desert Oracle Radio is a weekly road trip through the weird American desert from the publisher of Desert Oracle, the pocket-sized field guide published in Joshua Tree, California. Hear tales of mysterious lights, missing tourists, lost mines, venomous creatures, weird history and weirder people. Hosted by editor Ken Layne and featuring a cast of intriguing mystics, oddballs, scientists and artists, Desert Oracle Radio is your soundtrack for a desert night. The program is broadcast on Friday nights at 10 p.m. on KCDZ 107.7 FM in the Mojave high desert, with field reports from around and across the desert lands, and is distributed by Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

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24 episodes
monthly
Avg 30 min
English

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S12 · E9
October 8 · 28 min
Madness and Dismemberment in the Time of Halloween
It's Halloweentime in the Mojave and that means tales of madness, chaos, strange rituals in the mountains. A time of social contagion, evil behaviors at the tail end of Age of Dionysus. Soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to our beloved patrons for making this show possible. Become a patron tonight and support the radio show you love! Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E8
September 20 · 28 min
Slumgullion Stew
Night has fallen on the desert. So let’s settle ourselves around the campfire and maybe cook up a big cauldron of Hobo Stew . . . otherwise known as Slumgullion Stew! Our pot includes Gila Monster venom, Yucca Man tales, and the various mysteries of Divine Wisdom. Here's how ol’ Cactus Ed Abbey describes such a feast of scraps: “Slumgullion stew is the name of a dish popular among hoboes and other knights of the open road. Into a big pot over an open fire, each man throws whatever he has to contribute: a stolen chicken, a hambone, a can of beans, a jar of salsa, an old shoe — anything edible. Like any serious stew, like human society itself, slumgullion should be stirred up frequently, or you’ll get a lot of scum on top.” Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E7
September 3 · 28 min
The Gold Hill Sandman
The Gold Hill Sandman was sighted on September 15, 1980. Location? Just off Nevada State Route 341, north of Silver City, just past Devil’s Gate and to the left, part of the old American Flats Comstock silver mine, as you’re coming up on Gold Hill. The witnesses worked for the mining company, as security guards. A busy job because the various ruins of the old mining complex, which closed down by 1927, were the favorite hangout of kids and teenagers and hippies and whole families from the small-town desert hills. In part because there’s a swimmin’ hole in the creek there, down in the trees beneath the old mill. People would come in on dirt bikes and ATVs, driving pickups and hotrods, to escape the summer heat in the cool shade of riparian cottonwoods and willows. The creature watched them, from above . . . . Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E6
August 10 · 28 min
Island of the Dead
Tonight we are walking across the desert, out of the canyons, over the rivers, to another kind of country. Another place, another time. Trying to trail behind the slow-walking souls of the dearly departed. Even though we are still alive. Desert myths and strange tales for this hottest time of Mojave Summer. Thanks to our patrons who support this advertising-free radio show. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E6
August 1 · 28 min
Petrified Forests and Ghostly Goblins
Night has fallen on the desert, and that’s a joyous time in the heat of Southwest Summer. Too hot, too dry, and we long for the cool misty tales of primeval forest, of strange creatures, of great mysteries! Soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to our patrons; become a patron tonight and support the radio show you love! This is EPISODE #266: PETRIFIED FORESTS AND GHOSTLY GOBLINS. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E5
July 6 · 28 min
Haunted Houses & Monsoon Rains
With every passing day, scorcher or not, we are on the march towards Autumn, towards cooler days and longer nights, the time of graveyards and ghost stories. But it’s always time for ghost stories, of course. Especially on Desert Oracle Radio. So tonight, after the exciting Monsoon Season forecast and report, we spend a chilling evening in an old mansion with a writer who just wants some peace and quiet so he can finish his book . . . . Soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Thanks to our too-few patrons for keeping the lights on, for now. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E4
June 24 · 28 min
Summer Solstice Verse & the Desert Doctor's Weird Bird
We're back with Midsummer Tidings from the Mojave, with solstice verse from Sam Clemens & Shakespeare, too. Plus a new campfire story from our recently concluded springtime series in Joshua Tree. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E3
June 1 · 1 hr
Campfire Tales on a Half-Moon Night
From our Campfire Stories in Joshua Tree on May 23, 2026, here’s a special one-hour edition of Desert Oracle Radio live from the desert behind the Joshua Tree Retreat Center, with the High Desert's own Herb Benham IV opening the campfire festivities with a couple of proper cowboy songs. Ravens, rattlesnakes and other characters appear early and often in the stories & fables that follow. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E2
May 12 · 28 min
The Pentagon's Latest UFO Files
If you love flying saucers, maybe you’ve been following the release of a bunch more UFO files. Maybe you're disappointed that E.T. isn't in there, signing a treaty with F.D.R. But it's a very interesting window on the American UFO era, which is now 80 years old! PLUS: A tale from Death Valley, told at our recent Campfire Stories event in Joshua Tree. Desert Oracle Radio (C)(P) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E1
April 20 · 28 min
Plague of the Crane Fly + Campfire Tales From Skinwalker Ranch
Tonight's episode features a previously secret recording of Campfire Stories from years gone by, plus an examination of the so-called "Mosquito Hawk" (or Skeeter Eater), which does not eat mosquitos. It doesn't really do anything but fly into your mouth while you're driving, or eating, or just trying to walk through your own house. Information regarding our May 2 / May 16 / May 23 "Campfire Stories" in Joshua Tree is also provided, with more details at DesertOracle.com/event-calendar/ Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E16
April 4 · 28 min
Artemis, Pyramids, Tatooine & Death Valley
We still live in the Time of Ancient Gods. At this very moment, in memory of a mission named for the god Apollo, astronauts of the Artemis mission are aboard the Orion spaceship, headed for La Luna. The mission is named for Blessed Artemis, goddess of the night, of the hunt, of the Moon. Daughter of Zeus. And just south of Death Valley National Park, one of the world's three Deep Space Network bases is bringing in the data from Artemis by radio. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E15
March 27 · 28 min
Meteor Nights on the Road to Graceland
What's going on with all these meteors & fireballs in the dark skies above? Where did Elvis Presley see a big UFO hovering over the Mojave Desert? And what drives so many people to the pilgrimage shrine of Graceland? Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E14
March 6 · 28 min
Springtime in the Desert Mountains
It's the magical time when the cold winter desert becomes an Eden of Wildflowers, as we luxuriate in the the spring warmth of the Sun & the birds are all delirious. Just like that, way up here in the Mojave mountains. ALSO: We dedicate this episode to the memory of Ray Barnes. PLUS: It's the 50th anniversary of the desert-fanatic classic The Monkey Wrench Gang. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E13
February 7 · 28 min
Mountain Mysteries & Edward Abbey’s 99th Birthday
Celebrating Ed Abbey's 99th Birthday with a road trip to Arches National Park, setting of his beloved 1968 book, Desert Solitaire. AND: What's going on within the federal government's "experimental forests" in Sasquatch Country? New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2026 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E12
January 26 · 28 min
Black Widow Babies & Early Blooming Joshua Trees
It’s time for Strange & Unusual Facts. Mostly about the desert, the wilderness, critters and criminals. We are not using our usual flurry of em-dashes because we've heard that's a sign of AI-slop writings. New soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, for this new year and new springtime on the way. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E14
Dec 20, 2025 · 28 min
Yucca Yuletide: A Desert Holiday
Join Desert Oracle Radio for an audio tour of how the American Desert celebrates Christmastime, or Christmastide. With festive soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2025 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E3
Dec 5, 2025 · 28 min
Christmas In Chelsea with St. Nicholas
From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series about America’s strange history & uncanny folklore. Tonight we visit the beautiful country estate of Clement Clarke Moore, the big house called "Chelsea" where he read his Christmas poem to the family. The poem is "A Visit From St. Nicholas," and the country estate is now the neighborhood of Chelsea, New York City. Santa Claus, it turns out, is a New York City native. He was created from old Dutch traditions of St. Nicholas and Sinterklaas, by NYC boosters and literary men such as Clement C. Moore, Washington Irving and John Pintard. Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Desert Oracle Radio © ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E13
Nov 25, 2025 · 28 min
Thanksgiving In the High Desert
Snowy mountaintops across the Western Mojave, all the transverse ranges have at least a dusting, with the big peaks covered in white. San Gorgonio looks so pretty right now, you can almost forget it’s a haunted mountain that eats people alive and is usually known by its grim local nickname “Old Grayback.” It must be Thanksgiving in the High Desert! An all-new episode with new soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, this is Desert Oracle Radio Episode #253. ALSO: Listen to the end, for important information on our Stocking Stuffer Special: a rare print edition of Desert Oracle (issue #11) & a DOR yellow vinyl bumper sticker, postage-paid to your mailbox for only $15.99. Desert Oracle Radio (c)(p) 2017-2024 http://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S11 · E12
Nov 2, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
All Hallows Tales, Live In New York
Recorded live in New York before an audience of DOR Patrons & assorted Manhattanites, this is Desert Oracle’s special Halloween Ghost Stories. Thanks to our special guests Matt Welch from The Fifth Column and Nicholas Lowry from Antique Roadshows & the new Czech graphic-design documentary Identity. Special thanks to our listeners who told ghost stories, RedBlueBlackSilver for the spooky soundscapes that surrounded us all, and Jonathan Farber for hosting the event. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S12 · E2
Oct 20, 2025 · 28 min
The Eldritch Republic: Thomas Jefferson's UFO
From Desert Oracle Radio, this is The Eldritch Republic, our new series that’s all about America’s strange history & uncanny folklore. Tonight we meet William Dunbar, frontier scientist on the Lower Mississippi, and hear his weird report to longtime friend Thomas Jefferson, regarding a large, low-flying mystery object that stunned the people of Baton Rouge in the Spring of 1800. Written and hosted by Ken Layne, with soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver. Desert Oracle Radio © ℗ 2017-2025 https://DesertOracle.com Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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