The Ah-Ha Phenomenon
Encyclopedia
The Ah-Ha Phenomenon is a radio drama
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
. Released in 1977 this is the third of the Jack Flanders
adventure series, and combines elements of Americana
and Old-time radio
with metaphysical concepts such as Sufi wisdom
and Tibetan Buddhism
.
is approached by a mysterious research institute; the head of one of its departments, Jack's uncle Sir Seymour Jowls (brother to Lord Henry Jowls who was introduced in The Fourth Tower of Inverness
) claims to have discovered the location of the fabled City of The Ah-Has, the source of the great ideas and inventions of the future, in the keeping of the higher powers, for their timely release to mankind. Sir Seymour wants Jack to go to the city and steal the Ah-Ha of the grand Unified Field Theory
. Jack agrees only when it is revealed that this city is also the location of the Lotus Jukebox for which Jack sought in vain through all of his adventures inside The Fourth Tower of Inverness
.
Seeking the help of Chief Wampum, Jack travels to the land of the City of Ah-Has, meeting a pesky troll and an eccentric wizard along the way before he must face the perils of the great city itself - source of the haunting music ("Angel Baby
") that Jack has pursued through dimensions, demons and dire deeds...
encounters several jukebox
es, each with a different theme.
Wizard: "You want the Wizard should embellish?"
This project was made possible by donations from the generous Friends & Fans of ZBS.
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
, produced by the ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation
ZBS Foundation, a small non-profit audio production company, was founded by Thomas Lopez in 1970 with a grant from Robert E. Durand as a working commune based on a donated farm in Upstate New York...
. Released in 1977 this is the third of the Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
adventure series, and combines elements of Americana
Americana
Americana refers to artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States. Many kinds of material fall within the definition of Americana: paintings, prints and drawings; license plates or entire vehicles, household objects,...
and Old-time radio
Old-time radio
Old-Time Radio and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the primary home entertainment medium in the 1950s...
with metaphysical concepts such as Sufi wisdom
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
and Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Plot
Jack FlandersJack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
is approached by a mysterious research institute; the head of one of its departments, Jack's uncle Sir Seymour Jowls (brother to Lord Henry Jowls who was introduced in The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness is a 1972 radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the first of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic...
) claims to have discovered the location of the fabled City of The Ah-Has, the source of the great ideas and inventions of the future, in the keeping of the higher powers, for their timely release to mankind. Sir Seymour wants Jack to go to the city and steal the Ah-Ha of the grand Unified Field Theory
Unified field theory
In physics, a unified field theory, occasionally referred to as a uniform field theory, is a type of field theory that allows all that is usually thought of as fundamental forces and elementary particles to be written in terms of a single field. There is no accepted unified field theory, and thus...
. Jack agrees only when it is revealed that this city is also the location of the Lotus Jukebox for which Jack sought in vain through all of his adventures inside The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness
The Fourth Tower of Inverness is a 1972 radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the first of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic...
.
Seeking the help of Chief Wampum, Jack travels to the land of the City of Ah-Has, meeting a pesky troll and an eccentric wizard along the way before he must face the perils of the great city itself - source of the haunting music ("Angel Baby
Angel Baby (song)
"Angel Baby" was a 1960 single by Rosie & The Originals. The song was recorded independently on a two-track machine when lead singer Rosie Hamlin was only 15 years old. Initially unable to find a label willing to distribute the song because of its unpolished sound, the group convinced a San Diego...
") that Jack has pursued through dimensions, demons and dire deeds...
Jukeboxes
During his adventures Jack FlandersJack Flanders
Jack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
encounters several jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
es, each with a different theme.
- Whirlitzer of Wisdom - This is the first jukebox discovered, and the only one outside of the Fourth Tower. For the price of a dimeDime (United States coin)The dime is a coin 10 cents, one tenth of a United States dollar, labeled formally as "one dime". The denomination was first authorized by the Coinage Act of 1792. The dime is the smallest in diameter and is the thinnest of all U.S...
, it plays various wisdoms by people such as Ram DassRam DassRam Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
and Don Van VlietCaptain BeefheartDon Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
(billed as the Venerable Van Vliet). Its name is based on the classic WurlitzerWurlitzerThe Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
jukebox.
- Great Green Jade Jukebox - This is the second jukebox discovered, inside the Fourth Tower. It is able to bring a city to life, replaying encounters in order. In order to reach the next step, track 2 must be played, and so on.
- Bodhisattva Jukebox - This is the final jukebox discovered inside the Fourth Tower. It features chants by Bhagavan Das, and listening to it brings understanding. The characters' heads and arms expand, in a way similar to a story of the bodhisattvaBodhisattvaIn Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
canon.
- Lotus Jukebox - Source of the haunting music ("Angel BabyAngel Baby (song)"Angel Baby" was a 1960 single by Rosie & The Originals. The song was recorded independently on a two-track machine when lead singer Rosie Hamlin was only 15 years old. Initially unable to find a label willing to distribute the song because of its unpolished sound, the group convinced a San Diego...
"). Although this is what he is searching for in The Fourth Tower of InvernessThe Fourth Tower of InvernessThe Fourth Tower of Inverness is a 1972 radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the first of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of Americana and Old-time radio with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic...
, Jack FlandersJack FlandersJack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
does not encounter it until The Ah-Ha Phenomenon.
Quotes
Chief Wampum: "No matter what, do not holler Help-um!"Wizard: "You want the Wizard should embellish?"
Credits
- Jack FlandersJack FlandersJack Flanders is the protagonist of a series of audio dramas produced by the ZBS Foundation. He is the creation of writer and sound artist Thomas Lopez and is played by actor Robert Lorick....
- Robert LorickRobert LorickRobert Lorick is an actor and lyricist, best known as a Broadway lyricist and for his work portraying Jack Flanders, a character in an ongoing series of ZBS Foundation audio adventures. In 1972, he made his debut as a lyricist with the Off-Broadway musical Hark! at the Mercer-O'Casey Theatre... - Sir Seymour Jowls - Owen McGhee
- Cynthia, Hostess & Archivist - P.J. Orte
- Narrator & Troll - Dave Herman
- Chief Wampum & Wizard - Meatball Fulton (Thomas LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
)
- Music - Tim Clark
- Graphics - Jaye Oliver
- Director, Script & Story - Meatball Fulton (Thomas LopezThomas LopezThomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is one of the founders and president of the ZBS Foundation. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. Some of these aired in 1984-85 as part of ZBS' stereo radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.His output includes the entire Jack...
)
This project was made possible by donations from the generous Friends & Fans of ZBS.