Jack Flanders

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Jack Flanders, full name Jonathan L. Flanders, [1] 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.

Contents

Jack is an adventurer who travels the Earth, exploring both familiar physical places and a metaphysical land called the Invisible Realms. His character adapts as the story requires, ranging from a bumbling fool to a competent and professional detective into spiritual mysteries. Well-versed in the occult, folklore, primitive magic and various mystic phenomena, he is able to withstand most reality-altering experiences and generally has an open mind towards all things.

Appearance and character

Being a character of audio drama, his physical appearance is not entirely clear, but he is depicted with blond hair in the CD cover art and is now in his late 60s or early 70s, having attended college in the late '60s. In Tropical Hot Dog Night (2007), his friend Claudine describes him as "six-foot-two with blond hair.". In Somewhere Next Door to Reality , a shop assistant says that he resembles the French poet Jacques Prévert. As the nephew of those adventurers from a past age, Lord and Lady Jowls, Jack is somewhat of a man out of time, dressing in a white suit and Panama hat. On at least two occasions he's obliged to wear a pith helmet and other adventurer's garb. On another, he promises to wear an ascot tie, which he presumably had with him.

He attended the University of California, Berkeley in the late '60s, although it is not known what he studied. He loves coffee and likes to sample the local brews during his adventures. He frequently drinks beer but seldom wine or spirits (he does drink port in one episode of The Fourth Tower of Inverness and rum in The Mystery of Jaguar Reef ). He may have smoked during his student days ("not since I read the Surgeon General's report," he says in The Fourth Tower of Inverness), and in Moon Over Morocco is able to provide a cigarette to a Moroccan, possibly implying that he smoked then, but now he has some difficulty tolerating the presence of people who smoke. On one occasion, at least, while living in London prior to the first adventure (The Fourth Tower of Inverness), he swallowed hashish ("purely by accident") and saw a unicorn as a result. In Moon Over Morocco , he says that he meditates and never uses any drugs. He doesn't exercise. For a "few years", he says in Return to Inverness , he was a vegetarian but gave it up. "You have to have the right body type to be a good vegetarian," rejoins chef Wham-Bam Shazam.

His business card reads "What appears to be coming at you is coming from you." He first heard this motto in Brazil during the Dreams of Rio story. As to why he chose this for his business card, he explains in Dreams of Sumatra , "I heard it. I liked it. I had it printed."

Romance

He is clearly very attractive to women, and his adventures usually include some romance. Beyond a rare kiss, no physical contact with any woman is ever depicted, and romantic feelings are implied rather than stated. Usually, the women seem to be more interested in him than he is in them. In Dreams of India , he pursues a woman, Kamala Shukla, without success. Besides Madonna Vampyra, who appears in The Fourth Tower of Inverness and Return to Inverness , Claudine (a woman from another plane of existence who first appears in Somewhere Next Door to Reality ) is his only love interest of his who appears in more than one adventure story.

In Midnight at the Casa Luna , two of the characters refer to Jack's relationship with an Ifrit, Layla Oolupi, which ended badly. Layla appears to Jack during Moon Over Morocco and plays a small but helpful role in his journey. However, in Do That in Real Life? Jack says that he first encountered Layla at Woodhenge, [2] an event alluded to in Moon Over Morocco as occurring in a dream/vision of their past shared life. Lady Jowls suggests in The Fourth Tower of Inverness that many of the characters in the series have known each other in past incarnations and are destined to move through time together. Whenever the relationship with the Ifrit does occur, it is between stories and we only ever hear references to it. There is a malevolent Oolupi [3] in The Fourth Tower of Inverness who almost succeeds in seducing Jack. When she fails, she tries to drown him in a lake of her tears.

Finances

Jack's finances are something of a mystery. When he is introduced, he does not appear to have wealth, but he is able to travel around the world well enough. He lives principally in an apartment in New York and later inherits the mansion and estate of Inverness, so a good deal of family money can be assumed. In Dreams of Sumatra it is mentioned that his previous adventures have been published - Carlos Castaneda style.

Jack Flanders stories

Character phases

[ original research? ]

The Jack Flanders stories can be divided into distinct phases. Initially there is the Cosmic Tourist phase which makes up the first four adventures. These are principally concerned with Jack's explorations and adventures in the Invisible Realms. In these tales he is largely on his own and survives on his wit, luck, charm and the ability to always present a moving target.

This is followed by the Jungle Jack phase, stories that are largely grounded in 'reality' but with various supernatural or other-worldly intrusions. The settings for these stories are spread out across the globe but they are all tropical - the Amazon, Rio, India, Bali, Sumatra, Belize, Costa Rica. For the majority of them Jack is still on his own; only in the last few is he joined by Mojo Sam who then becomes a permanent companion in subsequent adventures. Usually it is Mojo who calls upon Jack to join him and help with a particularly tricky problem (although Jack calls on Mojo in the Return to Inverness ).

There is a brief return to the Cosmic Tourist for Midnight at the Casa Luna and Return to Inverness both of which are closely related to the original story - one borrows significantly and the other is a straight sequel.

After a final adventure as Jungle Jack we move into a French theme and the Cul-de-sac Jack phase. These stories bring in two further companions – Claudine and Dominique. With the core group growing, the stories become more of an ensemble effort with Jack taking a less assertive and more bumbling role, often being the butt of jokes, especially from Dominique who frequently launches into political diatribe.

An occasional but recurring theme is that of Captain Jack. It first appears in The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders where he does indeed become captain of the Blue Swallow. In The Mystery of Jaguar Reef , Captain Coco frequently refers to him as Captain Jack, saying that it feels right to do so. But it's not until we move out of the Cul-de-sac Jack phase at the end of the 'Travelling Jack' sub-series, that we enter a new sub-series of adventures for Captain Jack - 'The Fantastic Voyages of Captain Jack Flanders'. He, Mojo, Claudine and Dominique sail between islands in the tropics encountering ever more mysterious and other-worldly happenings.

Broadcast history

The early stories were broadcast on college radio stations and on NPR during the 1970s and 1980s. Currently, they are sold directly on CD and as mp3 downloads via the ZBS Foundation website.

Jack Flanders story episodes are regularly featured on Mike Watt's The Watt from Pedro Show podcast.

Characters

The following characters have prominent or recurring roles in the Jack Flanders series.

Related Research Articles

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 American culture and Old-time radio, with metaphysical concepts such as past life regression, Sufi wisdom, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanistic communication with the natural world.

Thomas Lopez, aka Meatball Fulton, is president of the ZBS Foundation and one of the foundation's founders. He writes and produces the ZBS Foundation's audio drama productions. When he was working in radio in the 1960s, Lopez took "Meatball Fulton" out of Rolling Stone as his nom de plume.

<i>Moon Over Morocco</i> (radio series) ZBS Foundation radio drama series

Moon Over Morocco is a 1974 radio drama, the second in ZBS's Jack Flanders series. Originally broadcast as fifty twelve-minute episodes, the serial was written and directed by Meatball Fulton.

<i>The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders is a radio drama produced by the ZBS Foundation and Meatball Fulton. It is the fourth of the Jack Flanders adventure series.

<i>Return to Inverness</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Return to Inverness is a 2000 radio drama, the twelfth in ZBS's Jack Flanders series. The serial was written and directed by Meatball Fulton, as a sequel to the 1972 story The Fourth Tower of Inverness, the first in the series.

<i>Midnight at the Casa Luna</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Midnight at the Casa Luna is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. The two parts of the story were released individually in 1998 and 2000; part two has the title The Hungry Ghosts. It is the eleventh 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.

<i>The Ah-Ha Phenomenon</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

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.

<i>Dreams of Rio</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Dreams of Rio is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the fifth of the Jack Flanders adventure series, and combines elements of American culture and Old-time radio with themes of lost cities, jungle exploration and shamanism. It immediately precedes but is not part of the "Travels with Jack" adventures, each of which is entitled Dreams of ...

<i>Dreams of the Amazon</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Dreams of the Amazon is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the sixth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the first of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of American culture and Old-time radio with themes of lost cities, jungle exploration and shamanism. It is a loose sequel to Dreams of Rio and while it is not necessary to have heard that story first it will help to understand some of the references.

<i>Dreams of Bali</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Dreams of Bali is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the eight of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the third of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of American culture, Old-time radio and Sufism.

<i>Dreams of Sumatra</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

Dreams of Sumatra is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the ninth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the fourth of the Travels with Jack sub-series. It combines elements of American culture, Old-time radio and Sufism.

<i>The Mystery of Jaguar Reef</i> ZBS Foundation radio drama story

The Mystery of Jaguar Reef is a radio drama, produced in 1996 by the ZBS Foundation. It is the tenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series. It combines elements of American culture and Old-time radio with themes of pirates and aliens.

Dreams of the Blue Morpho is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the thirteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the first of the Travelling Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

Somewhere Next Door To Reality is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the fourteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the second of the Travelling Jack sub-series. It combines elements of old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

Do That In Real Life? is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the fifteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the third of the Travelling Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

The Eye of Van Gogh is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the sixteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the fourth of the Travelling Jack sub-series. It combines elements of Old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

Orchids and Moonbeams is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the seventeenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the first of The Fantastic Voyages of Captain Jack Flanders sub-series. It combines elements of Old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

Tropical Hot Dog Night is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the nineteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the third of The Fantastic Voyages of Captain Jack Flanders sub-series. It combines elements of Old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

The White Castle is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the twentieth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the fourth of The Fantastic Voyages of Captain Jack Flanders sub-series. It combines elements of old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

The Ghost Islands is a radio drama, produced by the ZBS Foundation. It is the eighteenth of the Jack Flanders adventure series and the second of the Fantastic Voyages of Captain Jack Flanders sub-series. It combines elements of old-time radio with psychic phenomena, supernatural beings and energies.

References

  1. "ZBS Foundation / Radio Drama / Audio Drama / Jack Flanders / Ruby:Gumshoe / Sci-Fi & Fantasy / Mystery".
  2. Disc 2, Track 2 00:48 La Petite Lafitte
  3. Disc 4, Track 5 10:30 Let's See You Get Out Of This One
  4. Return to Inverness, ZBS Media