Cover art for podcast PleasureTown

PleasureTown

51 EpisodesProduced by Chicago Public MediaWebsite

The fictional history of this mysterious Oklahoma town.

episodes iconAll Episodes

PleasureTown: The Legend Has Begun

June 13th, 2014

Unfamiliar with PleasureTown? If you ask some, PleasureTown was paradise on Earth, a place where anyone could be and do whatever they wanted without …

Ep 101 - Buried & Forgotten

July 8th, 2014

In this episode, Claude and Cyrus invite listeners to join them in retracing the steps that lead them to PleasureTown. Despite their contrasting personalities, both Claude and Cyrus share histories rooted in hardship. …

Ep 102 - White Stone Path

July 20th, 2014

As word spread of the strange, hedonistic town, more and more lost souls gravitated toward a place they believed could be their home. In this …

Ep 103 - A Smile That Stretches

August 4th, 2014

As PleasureTown transformed into a budding settlement, the community began to see a flood of diverse immigrants. With all the activity, it didn’t take long for the media to catch wind of the diamond in the red dirt, and …

Ep 104 - If Thy Right Hand Offend Thee

August 20th, 2014

As the population of PleasureTown continued to swell, the settlement began to see an uptick in violence, lawlessness and murder. In this episode, …

Ep 105 - Two Souls

September 3rd, 2014

In this episode, we meet PleasureTown's barber, who tells the story of how he and his blind brother fled to the settlement after a particularly hairy …

Ep 106 - The Feast Of The Wretched

September 17th, 2014

In this episode, we learn the birth story behind PleasureTown's original holiday, The Feast of the Wretched. Meanwhile, Mattie Barker has left town, …

Ep 107 - Flashes of Fire

October 1st, 2014

As PleasureTown grew, it began to attract a different breed of wanderer. No longer were those drawn to the settlement society's rough and grizzled outlaws and misfits. Dreamers, poets and artists had begun to flock to …

Ep 108 - Of Vigilance & Worry

October 15th, 2014

A sudden revelation threatens the future of PleasureTown's star-crossed lovers, the Doctor and the Reporter. We hear from the Reporter's side of the story and discover just how their magnetic attraction first came to …

Ep 109 - Pushing Upstream

October 29th, 2014

Tensions come to a head between the PleasureTown founders, as Claude and Cyrus duke it out in a battle of words for control of the town. Meanwhile, …

Ep 110 - Double Lives

November 12th, 2014

A mystery unfolds in PleasureTown as one of the pillars of this hedonistic society is found dead due to strange circumstances. Meanwhile, residents …

Ep 111 - The Other Side of Life

November 29th, 2014

Two of PleasureTown's long-time residents reach the end of the road. Ma Barker visits the grave of her deceased husband, Henry, and reflects on a life of hard knocks. Meanwhile, Shaman Jon's spiritual awakening reaches …

Ep 112 - The Road Appearing

December 17th, 2014

In the season finale, an apocalyptic premonition could alter the course of Claude and Cyrus' lives forever. Meanwhile, the battle between the …

Ep Mini1 - By My Own Hands

January 28th, 2015

In PleasureTown's first "minisode," we meet Esther, the town seamstress, who spins a yarn about her lost heritage and life under the watchful eye of …

Ep Mini2 - All Sorts of Trouble

February 10th, 2015

In PleasureTown's second "minisode," a local shopkeeper with an axe to grind has a run-in with a band of youthful hoodlums. But there's opportunity …

Ep Mini3 - My Life Wandering

February 25th, 2015

In PleasureTown's third "minisode," we flash forward to the present, where we meet young Mason Bowen, a student at Enid State University. As part of …

Ep Mini4 - Nothing But Hungry

March 11th, 2015

In PleasureTown's fourth "minisode," we continue the story of Crandle Philing’s Fantasy Fair and Freak Show. Suspicions rise among the carnival workers as more strange happenings occur among the children. Will Buster, …

Ep Mini5 - Legitimate Medicine

March 25th, 2015

In PleasureTown’s fifth minisode, we are introduced to smooth-talking huckster Nicholas Morrison, a new arrival who makes his living as a slinger of …

Ep Mini6 - The Shadows

April 7th, 2015

In the thrilling conclusion to the Fantasy Fair & Freak Show trilogy, tough-talking Frank and the mysterious Mirella come to Pete’s aid while Mr. Blythe attempts to confront Buster about their altercation. Will the …

Ep Mini7 - This Same Flower

April 22nd, 2015

In PleasureTown's seventh and final "minisode," we meet a young New York City couple with big dreams of small town living. But money is tight and trouble abounds. Will the couple make it to the fabled utopia, or will …

Ep 201 - And You Run

May 6th, 2015

Claude and Cyrus are back with another season of strange and twisted tales from PleasureTown's past. In the Season Two premier, we begin by flashing back -- way back -- to hear a story of loss and bloodshed from a man …

Ep 202 - Good Luck Charm

May 20th, 2015

In the second episode of Season 2 of PleasureTown, we become reacquainted with Jebediah, a blind man whose father exploits his preternatural ability to taste what others are feeling. Also, Claude digs up a memory of a …

Ep 203 - Years of Mayhem

June 2nd, 2015

More often than not, it is those that we least expect that are our undoing. In this week’s episode, we rejoin the town’s stoic Bartender as he is confronted by the widow of the man he murdered. Will she be the one to …

Ep 204 - Always Spot the Thorns

June 16th, 2015

In the garden of life, some people are petals...and others are thorns. This time, Shiner returns to share details of her legendary romance and her legendary death. Next, we listen as Mudd and Rudd as they strike up an …

Ep 205 - Thinly Veiled Disguise

June 30th, 2015

In this week’s thrilling episode of PleasureTown, Mudd plans on spending his earnings from a recent heist but instead encounters an individual possibly more devious than himself. We then walk with Jebediah as he recalls …

Ep 206 - History of Solitude

July 14th, 2015

In this week’s episode of PleasureTown, we join the Bartender as he ruminates on the retribution that fate has dealt him for his years spent as a hitman. Also, a withdrawn Cyrus is confronted about his reclusive ways by …

Ep 207 - Needed Quiet

August 10th, 2015

In this week’s episode, we visit with Goldie as she examines the reflection of her violent past with former lover Alvin. Waist deep in an ocean of …

Ep 208 - The Flames Rising

August 25th, 2015

It’s the Feast of the Wretched! A stranger on her way to town encounters Jeb, who has become a man on the run. Through a tale of family and fire, he warns her against what she might find in PleasureTown. Meanwhile, …

Ep 209 - Hunt Of The Hunter

September 9th, 2015

In The Hunt of the Hunter, a sinister figure walks in Rudd’s footsteps. Will this be the comedian’s last laugh? Meanwhile, the shantytowners stage a …

Ep 210 - Of Such Metal

September 22nd, 2015

It's Oklahoma's 10th anniversary, and President Roosevelt is visiting as part of his campaign to drum up favor for the War. The citizens of PleasureTown are abuzz...as are the spirits who watch over them.

EP 211 - By Blood or Bond

October 6th, 2015

Veiled by the magic of the Cintamani Stone, Adrianne enters Bulger’s store to make contact with her estranged brother. Later, the stone’s elusiveness …

Ep 212 - Last Breath

October 27th, 2015

In the season finale, Bulger and Rudd discover the Cintamani Stone, sending them on a collision course with Alvin Pilfer and Warren Featherbone III.

Telegram For You!

January 22nd, 2016

We've missed you. Stop.
We'll be back soon. Stop.
Follow us on Twitter. Stop.
@PleasureTownOK Stop.
And Nerdette is back! Stop.
Joy abounds! Stop.

Ep Mini8 - Rule of Symmetry

January 30th, 2016

This week on PleasureTown, we join Clara, a young mathematician and PleasureTown native, as she decides to leave her family and community behind. Although Clara sets out to forge her own identity, it begins to dawn on …

Ep Mini9 - Bad Water

February 29th, 2016

13:53

Fear and hate go hand in hand. This is a lesson Hong, a Chinese immigrant, must learn as he traverses the Wild West to build a new home in Oklahoma. Will Hong be able to conquer the perils of his adopted land or will he …

Ep Mini10 - How It Works

March 15th, 2016

9:02

In this minisode, we meet a nameless PleasureTown resident as he recounts a chance meeting with a tormented Claude, who is haunted by memories of his father...and what he did. This minisode was written by PleasureTown …

Ep Mini11 - It Takes A Village

March 26th, 2016

12:00

PleasureTown may be a playground for the liberated, but for one young man, being born into a world so focused on pleasure made life nearly unbearable. This is his story.

Ep Mini12 - The Human Form

June 12th, 2016

11:00

A nudist who is known for her pink parasol describes an encounter with a pair of Irish siblings. One loves her, and one wishes to possess her.

Ep 301 - A Thin Connection

June 15th, 2016

27:08

In the season premiere, Amelia relives her childhood and her father’s abusive self-interest to tell how she came to be the proprietor of the town’s Inn. Also, Remy, daughter to a family of wealthy English aristocrats, …

Ep 302 - Sinners At Every Turn

June 29th, 2016

27:46

Meet Bethany and Daniel, two amorous teens from Louisiana who are gifted with the ability to speak to the dead. Meanwhile, Claude and Cyrus struggle to find the finances for repairs as the town shows increasing signs of …

Ep 303 - Certain Dignity

July 13th, 2016

24:47

An opportunity to stimulate the floundering economy of PleasureTown presents itself in the form of Enid Wallace, a wealthy railroad baroness who …

Ep 304 - Heart Still Beating

July 27th, 2016

25:45

Tip of the hat to you listeners, and thanks again for joining us! Now, pop in those headphones and prepare to embark on another voyage into …

EP 305 - Smoke and Embers

August 10th, 2016

23:36

Amelia and Remy bond over making their totems for the Feast of the Wretched. Meanwhile, the medium Daniel encounters a spirit who tries to console …

EP 306 - Gnarled Remains

August 24th, 2016

24:26

This week on PleasureTown, Skippy, the town clerk, takes stock of what is left of in the wake of the Great Fire, all the while trying to manage the out-of-touch founders. Meanwhile, Elijah, leader of the newly displaced …

Ep 307 - The Good In Ourselves

September 21st, 2016

25:37

This week on PleasureTown, Remy is challenged when one of the more troubled members of her support group rejects help. Meanwhile, Amelia blows the …

EP 308 - Rebuilding This Place

October 5th, 2016

24:58

With the town in desperate need of financial help, the Clerk holds a State of the Town address to lay out the pros and cons of the new railroad. …

EP 309 - The Most Joy

October 19th, 2016

25:40

Eli, Eve, and Flo reflect on their pasts and futures, hopes and reservations, faiths and follies. Meanwhile, Ms. Wallace joins Mr. Goose at one of …

EP 311 - Hear the Sparrow

November 16th, 2016

22:49

Frantic and alone, Remy is driven to the wilderness by a betrayal and her voices.

EP 312 - With Fists Raised

December 8th, 2016

26:51

Well...shoot. Thanks for listening to our yarnin’, travelers. This last one has been a long meandering road, full of unexpected twists and turns and …

Farewell

February 22nd, 2024

0:39

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