TIH 177: Matt Cardin on Horror and Spirituality, Thomas Ligotti, and Alan Watts

TIH 177 Matt Cardin on Horror and Spirituality, Thomas Ligotti, and Alan Watts

In this podcast Matt Cardin talks about horror and spirituality, Thomas Ligotti, Alan Watts, and much more.

About Matt Cardin

Matt Cardin is a writer, editor, musician, and college professor and administrator living in North Texas. He is the author of the supernatural horror fiction collections Divinations of the Deep (2002) and Dark Awakenings (2010). He is also the author of the fiction collection To Rouse Leviathan (forthcoming from Hippocampus Press) and the editor of several academic nonfiction books, including Mummies around the World: An Encyclopedia of Mummies in Religion, History, and Popular Culture(2014), Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: The Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies (2015), and Horror Literature through History: An Encyclopedia of the Stories That Speak to Our Deepest Fears (2017).

Show notes

  • [04:00] Life lessons growing up
  • [06:30] Stories that impacted Matt as a child
  • [09:00] College studies
  • [18:40] What to do after graduating university
  • [23:10]  Connection between horror, spirituality and religion
  • [29:20] Zen Christianity
  • [32:45] Divinations of the Deep
  • [51:50] What would you accept as evidence for the supernatural or existence of God? / Rationalisation and explaining
  • [54:50] Thomas Ligotti
  • [01:00:15] Born to Fear: Interviews with Thomas Ligotti—lessons learnt about Thomas Ligotti
  • [01:03:00] Life lessons via Thomas Ligotti
  • [01:04:40] Cult of positivity
  • [01:10:20] Navigating the lens in which we view the world
  • [01:13:40] Alan Watts

Podcast Sponsors

California Screamin’

Edited by Danielle Kaheaku with an introduction by Jonathan Maberry, California Screamin’ peels back the sunshine and palm trees to expose the hidden darkness in the brutal heart of the Golden State. Forget sun-drenched beaches and shaka-giving surfers—think eldritch river monsters and haunted ghost towns. California Screamin’ takes readers on a hellish road trip down the 101. From wind-blown deserts to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, E.S. Magill, Kevin Wetmore, Chad Stroup, Sarah Read, Kevin David Anderson, and many more spin tales of terror that will make you rethink your next vacation. California Screamin’ is available in paperback and ebook October 22nd. So wax up your board and get ready to scream with fourteen of the West Coast’s finest authors.

Deciduous Tales

Coming October 5th, Deciduous Tales is a new literary journal featuring the very best in dark fiction. Join Richard Thomas, Matthew Brockmeyer, Douglas Milliken, Brian Asman, Josh Chaplinsky, and more on a journey through the shadowy realms of literature. From horror and suspense to neo-noir and transgressive, from classic creators to contemporary authors, Deciduous Tales is dedicated to highlighting the thought-provoking, the scintillating, and the strange. Find out more at deciduoustales.com or visit our Facebook page.  Deciduous Tales, available October 5th. Get yours today.

Resources

Please subscribe to This Is Horror podcast RSS Feed
Subscribe via iTunes
Listen to This Is Horror via iTunes
Visit our Patreon page and donate to the This Is Horror Podcast

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-177-matt-cardin-on-horror-and-spirituality-thomas-ligotti-and-alan-watts/

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.