Sometimes I encounter things that make a significant impact at just the right time in my life.
I found the Scifi Saturday Night podcast when I was looking for Harlan Ellison interviews sometime in 2010. I found their interview with Harlan and immediately liked the chemistry between the crew. They loved science fiction and were fans of Harlan Ellison in particular. As soon as the episode finished, I listened to more, and I was immediately hooked.
Scifi Saturday Night was a weekly podcast that ran from the mid-2000s through 2022 and was based in New Hampshire. There isn’t a definitive history of the podcast, but as far as I can tell, it was a radio show before it was a podcast. SFSN’s host was The Dome, along with his daughter and various friends who joined on a regular basis to discuss current science fiction TV, movies, books and comics. Together, they made every episode fun to listen to. Sadly, The Dome passed in the summer of 2022.
The Dome was the heart and soul of the podcast. I could listen to him talk about old science fiction writers and books for hours. He fit right in with raconteurs such as Harlan Ellison and Spider Robinson. As an interviewer, he always managed to ask the right questions and follow-ups at just the right time. He could go toe-to-toe with a seasoned science fiction writer, or he could make a nervous first-time interviewee feel relaxed and welcomed. From all the discussions and interactions on the podcast, it’s safe to say The Dome was also loved in the local SF convention scene.
When I discovered SFSN, I was in a strange point in my life. I had missed out on a lot of cool things happening in scifi, and listening to SFSN helped bring me back. The show reminded me to focus on the things I loved, to be excited for projects both mainstream and independent, to express that excitement and show support. This podcast had a quality to it that I feel other podcasts lack, and that quality is the genuine positivity. Even though the hosts sometimes debated on movies and TV they didn’t like, they were capable of critiquing without tearing down the creators.
Through SFSN, I discovered legendary science fiction writers like Fritz Lieber, Robert Sheckley and Spider Robinson. I also discovered many independent works by writers and artists who were taking a chance at their dream. The podcast archive is a goldmine of science fiction and fantasy discovery. especially since they were able to interview several of those legendary writers, including Spider Robinson, who The Dome was a huge fan of.
As the show continued through the late 2010s, my life drastically changed and I stopped listening. Last year I came across the show and was glad to see that it had continued on, until I discovered the reason it stopped in 2022. I was saddened to learn about The Dome’s passing. The most recent episode listed on Apple Podcasts is from 2023, “Remembering The Dome” …where nearly everyone from the old crew gathered, as well as some names I didn’t recognize, all shared their favorite memories of The Dome. I couldn’t bring myself to listen until just yesterday. Listening to that episode brought back a lot of memories of both the show I enjoyed so much, as well as what was happening in my life at the time.
I can truly say that I miss the show, and I am thankful for The Dome, and all of the friends that made the show easy to listen to.
I’ve started listening to the most recent episodes, as well as some of the early ones. It’s refreshing to listen to such positive discussion on science fiction and fantasy without all the negativity that surrounds fandom today. Through this old podcast, I can be reminded that I can get excited about cool things, and express that excitement. I can also be reminded that…
“Shared pain is lessened, shared joy is increased. Thus do we all refute entropy.” -Spider Robinson
