The following is a 2021 archived description of FSP's The Adventures of Tarzan® program that ran from 2018-2023.
Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan® is a comedy podcast performed in the style of old-time radio serials that seeks to bring the original Tarzan stories into today's modern age. The production was written and recorded by FSP's main cast and writer's team throughout 2018-2019 at Duke University. The program originally operated as a parody, "The Adventures of Tar-Zaan" during this time, however the production was extended a licensing agreement in early 2020 by Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated after an exciting visit to Pulpfest 2019. The program is co-copyright Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated and Freshly Squeezed Pulp, licensed under the writing team members on behalf of the production. Distribution of The Adventures of Tarzan® stalled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, as many of the cast and crew members were grappling with effects of the global crisis. However, the program has since successfully begun its 2021 re-release.
What is Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan® About?
Following in the footsteps of Edgar Rice Burroughs' original Tarzan® novels, this Freshly Squeezed Pulp Program seeks to both re-tell and modernize the wacky exploits of world-renowned pulp hero Tarzan of the Apes® through a mix of comedy and classic drama. Born to cast-aways on the western coast of equatorial Africa, a young Earl of Greystoke is brought up by a family of intelligent apes. When a band of tag-along explorers are also marooned on the same beach, Tarzan comes to meet other humans for the first time, and learn more about the life in Europe his family tragically left behind. Here, Tarzan meets a young Jane Porter, and the two start a wacky family of friends and redemptive foes alike. As Tarzan's absurd adventures continue, the group cannot help but ask why their lives are plagued with such strange coincidences. Perhaps it's "The Last Game" as prophesied by La of Opar that places Tarzan at its very center of a growing chaotic crisis. What will Tarzan do in the face of his seemingly never ending list of treacherous enemies? Will his family and friends make it through their extravagant experiences alive themselves? And will Tarzan accept his destiny as a hero, or seek a simpler life void of Adventure? We implore you to listen to Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan® to find out the answers to these questions and more!
Where Can I Listen to Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan®?
Our program is primarily available on three streaming platforms, which you can find below!
Spotify [We're currently experiencing technical issues with Spotify, but come back later for fixes & updates!]
What Can We Expect from the 2021 The Adventures of Tarzan® Re-Release?
The 2021 Re-Release of Freshly Squeezed Pulp's premier program seeks to bring back the group's original Tarzan program but bigger and better! Aside from sensitivity edits made during the 2019-2021 years, content in the original program remains unchanged. Unlike prior releases, episodes will debut weekly on Wednesdays at 6:00 PM EST. All episodes will be edited and ready for release by mid June, so we intend to bring loyal fans the exciting finale they've been waiting years for. Notably, the Re-Release also brings with it full authorization and licensing from Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated, hence the implementation of new trademarks regarding the program. Here at FSP, we're so excited to be partnering with such an incredible organization that supports our modernization and re-telling of this classic pulp canon.
What Do We Mean By "Modernization"?
Above all else, pulp fiction is known for its iconic use of self-insert characters. Therefore, pulp authors of the past worked to create characters that the common man could disappear into in order to experience great adventures. In our studies of original pulp fiction at Duke University, FSP has hypothesized that the reason pulp fiction is less prevalent today is because this image of “the common man” has radically changed. The American public is more diverse now than ever, and our media is changing to represent that. We hope to adapt these works of pulp fiction so that people of all kinds can relate and be immersed in the adventures we tell. Students involved with FSP have studied commentaries and old works of pulp fiction to accurately prepare themselves to make these specialized changes to original cannons. Here at FSP, we know adapting classic pulp can be a difficult task. Much of the content we're working to modernize deals heavily with real-world concerns of racism, misogyny, homophobia, and colonialism. As young students aspiring to create inclusive media that supports the rights of all individuals involved, we want to give this challenge our full attention. We invite you to join us for a special directors’ commentary episode with FSP’s current president and the writers of the series to be released at the end of the FSP’s The Adventures of Tarzan® in order to explore the question of modernizing pulp further- as developing creators, we hope to discuss some of the strides forward our program has made as well as its shortcomings. We'll take you behind the scenes of our program's sensitivity edits and concerns, as well as address many of the difficult conversations we've had to have when re-producing pulp material. So stay tuned in the weeks to come for a peak behind the curtain at how this program was written and what the future looks like for modernization in pulp.
How Does Freshly Squeezed Pulp Attempt to Unify the Original Tarzan® Novels Into One Story?
While beloved in their own right, many of the original Tarzan novels are self-contained and do not span an overarching plot. In order to maintain a connection to the original cannon while still creating a progressing season, the FSP team focused on a few main themes within the novel to create an overarching plot: family, adventure, and absurdity. Throughout the season, we've coalesced these notions into one primary challenge that Tarzan must face: "The Last Game" Prophecy. FSP similarly hopes to investigate a particular literary theme each season, and our “Last Game” arc seeks to explore concepts of destiny and meaningful human relationships. After all, perhaps it's in the absurdity of adventure that we all truly find ourselves and purpose in life.
Where Can I Learn More About Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan®?
You should check out our Link Tree! It has every conceivable link to the platforms we're operating for FSP as of now. You can check that out here!
All in all, thank you so much for your interest in Freshly Squeezed Pulp's The Adventures of Tarzan®! We hope you enjoy our program as much as we've enjoyed creating it for you.
Special thanks to Edgar Rice Burroughs Incorporated for the use of their trademarks:
Trademarks TARZAN®, TARZAN OF THE APES®, LORD OF THE JUNGLE®, LORD GREYSTOKE™, TARZAN AND JANE®, JANE PORTER®, JANE CLAYTON™, KORAK™, AND EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS® Owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Associated logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., and used by permission.”